TERRE HAUTE —
In the middle of last week, the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team found itself in position to clinch the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season championship outright.
All the Engineers had to do was win at Earlham, which finished this season with 21 losses.
That Feb. 13 matchup was not one of those losses, however, as the Quakers upset Rose 68-66 and ended the Engineers’ winning streak at eight games.
As one might imagine, the stunned Engineers were forced to do a lot of soul-searching during the 150-mile bus trip back to Terre Haute that night.
“It was absolutely the quietest bus ride I’ve ever been on,” Rose-Hulman men’s coach Jim Shaw told the Tribune-Star. “I wasn’t going to tell the guys something that they didn’t already know [by screaming about how they shouldn’t have lost].
“Once we got on the bus, there were no movies, no music — not because I dictated it — but because nobody was really in the mood. We didn’t even stop to eat, which we always do. The seniors said, ‘No, let’s just get home.’ Once we hit practice [the next day], we healed.”
The Engineers did bounce back last Saturday to win at Hanover 59-57, finally clinching the HCAC regular-season title and enabling them to host the final-four portion of the HCAC tournament this weekend in Hulbert Arena.
Hanover, the No. 2 seed, will face third-seeded Transylvania at 6 p.m. today. Then No. 1 seed Rose, the defending HCAC tournament champion, will put its 22-3 overall record (with the second-highest single-season win total in school history) up against No. 4 seed Defiance (16-10) at about 8.
The survivors will clash for the HCAC tournament championship at 7 p.m. Saturday. The winner will earn an automatic bid into the 62-team NCAA Division III tournament, which begins March 2.
Rose-Hulman, ranked No. 23 in the latest d3hoops.com national poll, posted a 16-2 HCAC mark in winning the regular-season crown. Two of its victories were against Defiance — 63-52 at home Dec. 1 and 63-62 at Defiance on Feb. 9.
That means Rose will need a third triumph over the Yellow Jackets from Ohio to advance to the conference championship tilt Saturday.
“It is a cliché and it’s a wrong cliché [about how beating the same team three times in one season is so difficult],” Shaw said. “I would rather play somebody that I have already beaten twice. You know why? Because you’re better than they are. … It’s just how you look at it.”
Shaw figures that if someone could devote enough time to study the history of college basketball, he or she would find that the team which already defeated its opponent twice in the regular season won the third encounter more often than it lost.
Still, don’t think for a second that Shaw does not respect the Engineers’ semifinal opponent, which knocked off No. 5 seed Franklin 85-66 Tuesday to stay alive for this weekend. Shaw and some of his players were able to watch that contest online.
“Defiance is good,” Shaw pointed out. “We’ve got two wins against them. They were both difficult to get. This one will be just as difficult.
“We’ve got to find a way to score. They’ve got one of the best scorers in the history of the HCAC [in 6-foot-4 senior guard Logan Wolfrum]. We’ve got to minimize him. They did hurt us inside and they did a good job defensively [during the regular season]. They’re a really good defensive team, so we’ve got to find ways of scoring against them.”
Defiance is indeed led by Wolfrum, who’s averaging 18.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. From 3-point range, he’s hit 52 of 120 attempts, good for 43.3 percent.
Against the Engineers, however, Wolfrum was held to 16 and 11 points respectively.
The Yellow Jackets also get double-digit scoring from 6-6 junior forward Ryan Hicks (12.7 ppg) and 6-6 sophomore forward Bernard Edwards (10.2 ppg).
“They’ve got one of the best scorers in the league in Logan Wolfrum,” Rose senior forward Nate Gissentanner said this week. “You’ve got to stop him or at least slow him down. If he doesn’t score over 20 [points], we’ve got a good chance of beating those guys.”
“We really respect them,” Rose senior guard Austin Weatherford said of the Yellow Jackets. “They have a great player in Logan Wolfrum. He’s a great scorer and their big guys do a great job too. They’re a good team. They came close [to beating Rose-Hulman] twice this season.”
Meanwhile, Rose’s top scorers are 6-3 junior guard Julian Strickland (14.4 ppg) and the 6-2 Weatherford (12.5 ppg).
Shaw stressed that any one of the four remaining teams is capable of capturing the tournament title Saturday night.
“It’s not going to be easy for anyone,” he insisted.
One fact worth noting, Rose-Hulman won at Transylvania on Feb. 2 (54-49), won at Defiance on Feb. 9 and won at Hanover last Saturday. That covers the last three weekends, so there is little doubt the Engineers earned the home-court advantage this weekend, despite their unexpected loss at Earlham.
“We’re going to miss our students not being here [because of winter quarter break in classes this week],” Weatherford mentioned. “Hopefully, some of them will get to make it back. But it’s definitely a good feeling to be at home and not have to worry about traveling and staying at a hotel all week.”
Temporarily turning his attention away from the on-court action, Shaw elaborated on the responsibilities of hosting a conference tournament, which Rose hasn’t done since the Shook Fieldhouse era — 1997 to be exact.
It involves much more than turning on some lights and tossing a basketball to midcourt a few times each night.
“There is a lot to do to host a tournament,” Shaw explained. “We are committed to making it first-class, the best HCAC basketball tournament ever. I’ve had a small role in that, but Matt Sinclair [Rose director of athletic facilities] and his people and Kevin Lanke [Rose assistant athletic director and sports information director] have done the bulk of the work and we’re going to put on a first-class tournament.”
• HCAC women’s tournament — The Rose-Hulman women’s team earned the sixth (and final) seed in the HCAC tournament, with all games being played this weekend at Transylvania in Lexington, Ky. Coach Jon Prevo’s Engineers will battle No. 3 seed Hanover in the first round at 8 p.m. today.
Rose lost to Hanover twice in the regular season — 55-43 at home Dec. 15 and 74-63 at Hanover on Feb. 16.
A victory tonight would propel the Engineers (12-13 overall, 8-10 HCAC) into a 5 p.m. semifinal showdown with No. 2 seed Franklin on Saturday. The women’s championship game is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday.
Transylvania owns the top seed with records of 20-5 overall and 16-2 in the HCAC.
College
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Open look: Rose-Hulman guard Austin Weatherford gets off a contested shot in the Engineer's loss to Transylvania last Saturday.
Discussion
Rose-Hulman looking to take HCAC Tournament title on home floor
- College
-
-
Manaea's shoulder causing him latest pain
Indiana State pitcher Sean Manaea has battled through so many aches and pains during the 2013 season that it can be hard to discern the serious pain from the pain he pitches through.
-
ISU's Negele answers call in big way in wake of Manaea injury
When Indiana State starting pitcher Sean Manaea slumped on the mound in obvious pain after he took his warm-up pitches, red flags raised for ISU’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament hopes.
-
ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction
Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. -
ISU track sending record 22 to postseason
On the heels of their thrilling double victory at the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships both the Indiana State men and women moved up in the national rankings which were released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
-
ISU's athletic treasure trove
Think of every championship that Indiana State has won in each of its sports, past and present. Think of every tournament — postseason or regular season — which the Sycamores have claimed as their own.
-
Ort sets ISU RBI record in 16-7 win
Robby Ort celebrated his Indiana State baseball Senior Day on Saturday by becoming the Sycamores’ all-time leader in RBIs as ISU ended its regular season with a 16-7 win over Bradley at Bob Warn Field.
-
Bradley ends 16-game MVC losing streak against ISU
Momentum was the only thing riding on Indiana State’s baseball game against Bradley on Friday. With a five-game winning streak going, ISU wanted to keep the good vibes going into next week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
ISU couldn’t do it. -
Behind 16 hits and Manaea's pitching, ISU beats Bradley
Indiana State’s baseball team rode a wild ride of emotion on Thursday.
First came the public announcement that Bob Warn Field would host the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Later, Sean Manaea’s availability to pitch ISU’s series opener against Bradley was in doubt. -
Indiana State women add five transfers, including experienced D-I point guard
Indiana State coach Teri Moren believes the addition of five more newcomers to the program — in addition to the five who had already joined the program earlier this calendar year — will provide her coaching staff the athleticism and depth it needs to play a successful, up-tempo brand of basketball next season.
-
Metro roundup: Woods softball takes seventh in national tournament
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball team finished seventh in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association softball tournament on Tuesday at Firestone Stadium.
-
Metro Roundup: Indiana State’s Shakir Bell on Performance Awards watch list
College Football Performance Awards has announced its watch list for the 2013 CFPA FCS Running Back Award, and Indiana State’s Shakir Bell earned a spot on the list.
-
ISU baseball team builds on success with 14-2 rout
Indiana State’s baseball victory over Alcorn State on Friday would take on more meaning Saturday if the Sycamores could build momentum and pick up on the good work they did in Friday’s ninth-inning rally.
Mission accomplished.
The Sycamores were aggressive from the opening inning at the plate and starting pitcher Devin Moore gave them eight valuable and effective innings on the mound as ISU defeated Alcorn State 14-2 at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a really good experience for everybody. It felt great to finally come out here and put some things together. It’s also really nice when your offense puts a lot of runs on the board,” Moore said.
Moore’s eight innings of work were as valuable as gold to an ISU team that is short on quality arms due to injury and ineffectiveness. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and one of the two runs he conceded was unearned. -
Johnson, Lyke win MVC titles for ISU
Indiana State’s Felisha Johnson and Maurice Lyke were both crowned Missouri Valley Conference champions on Saturday during the MVC Track and Field Championships at Drake University.
-
ISU earns badly-needed win
Alcorn State’s baseball team might be ranked in the bottom 10 in RPI and Indiana State might have never lost to a Southwestern Athletic Conference team. So it wouldn’t appear that a quality win was in the offing when Alcorn State visited Bob Warn Field on Friday.
-
Metro roundup: RHIT’s Evans sets Div. III record in high jump
For the third time this season, Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans topped the NCAA Division III all-time national record in the outdoor high jump Friday night.
-
ISU’s Mascari and Hope win MVC track & field titles
Indiana State produced two champions during the opening day of action in the Missouri Valley Conference track and field championships Friday at Drake. Freshman John Mascari, a Terre Haute native, won the men’s 10,000-meter race and Nicole Hope won the women’s pole vault for the second time in three seasons.
-
ISU pole vault tradition continues with help from its author
Pole vault is track and field for the adrenaline junkie, Indiana State senior Nicole Hope proclaimed during a recent practice at Marks Field.
To catapult oneself about 14 feet into the air with a large $500 fiberglass pole on a daily basis is a risky endeavor.
“We have to be fearless. You can’t be afraid at all,” said Hope, who has also catapulted herself into the NCAA’s elite in the event, ranking 15th in the NCAA with her leap of 13-feet, 9 1/4. -
Sycamores searching for answers after seventh loss in eight games
These are the bad times for the Indiana State baseball team.
The will is there for the Sycamores to pull out of their worst slump of the season, but the results are not. The suffering continued on Wednesday at Bob Warn Field as Eastern Illinois defeated ISU 5-3. -
METRO ROUNDUP: ISU men's track picked first in MVC Championships, women second
The Indiana State men’s track team has won the last two Missouri Valley Conference outdoor championships, but the women have not stood on the top podium since 1999.
That may change this year, but the Sycamores will face some stiff competition in their quest for the championships. -
North grad Welker helps Whitson earn first NCAA bid as coach
Eastern Kentucky girls golf coach Mike Whitson, an alumnus of his employer, enjoyed his stay in Terre Haute as coach of Indiana State, where he started the women’s golf program.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman wins HCAC all-sports trophy
Rose-Hulman has won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s all-sports trophy for the fifth time in the past six year, the league announced Monday.
Rose tallied 66.5 points for its finishes in 11 men’s sports, just ahead of Franklin with 66. Hanover was third with 53 points. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman tennis falls in HCAC semifinal
Rose-Hulman’s hot streak in men’s tennis came to an end Saturday in the semifinal round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament at the West Indy Racquet Club.
-
Manaea fights off bad hip, wet weather to toss four innings
Mother Nature has been the bane of the Indiana State baseball team’s existence all season. Eight games wiped due to weather are a testament to that. So it was no surprise, though no less disappointing, when she didn’t deal Indiana State pitcher Sean Manaea the greatest hand on Saturday as he tries to recover from a hip injury.
-
ISU track enjoys big night at IU's Billy Hayes Invitational
The Indiana State Sycamores either won or finished as the top collegian in 12 events, led by the record-breaking performance of senior Brandon Pounds at the 2013 Billy Hayes Invitational Friday at Indiana University.
Pounds broke his own school record to win the men’s hammer throw. -
Lansing looking for more home games for next fall
Indiana State’s men’s basketball team is looking for a few good games.
Home games that is.
The Sycamores have filled in most of the blanks in their nonconference schedule, but as ever, ISU coach Greg Lansing would like to visit the friendly confines of Hulman Center a bit more often. -
Secret weapon: Kelsey Rosselli finishing Woods career with a bang
At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, reporting game results to the Tribune-Star after a win or a loss is not always a high priority.
So when one of its athletes enjoys an outstanding season, like senior Kelsey Rosselli is doing for the Pomeroys’ softball team in 2013, media publicity doesn’t always follow.
In fact, her efforts almost seem like a government secret.
Rosselli’s name might sound familiar to longtime Terre Haute softball followers because she was a standout for North High School, from where she graduated in 2009.
Since then, she’s helped The Woods finish runner-up in three straight U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012. -
ISU baseball gets back into rhythm with victory
Baseball is a rhythm game. With contests every day or five times a week in the case of many college programs, you have the chance to build on success or wallow in a slump.
Mother Nature took that rhythm away from Indiana State’s team last week. After a 7-1 loss to Indiana on April 24, ISU was supposed to play a three-game series at Tennessee-Martin, but it was wiped out by rain.
So the rhythm was disturbed, but perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.
ISU was in a five-game losing streak before its unintended vacation and the Sycamores made a move in the right direction Wednesday with a 7-0 win over DePauw at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a disappointing weekend. We went all the way down to Tennessee and didn’t get to play. We sat around in the hotel room. We came here and it was still raining. It was nice to get out and see some live pitching,” ISU center fielder Landon Curry said. -
Metro roundup: ISU hands out spring awards
The Indiana State University athletic community, along with family, friends and fans, paused Tuesday night to honor the spring sports teams at the Terre Haute Savings Bank Spring Sports Banquet.
Most of the ISU teams are still in competition with the baseball team having 13 games left of its regular-season schedule before beginning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament May 21, the softball team with just three games left of the docket this coming weekend against Southern Illinois and the track and field program with just one more meet before beginning its postseason events.
The ISU women’s golf team is the team that has ended at this time, with the group recording a sixth-place finish at the MVC championships one week ago. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose baseball wins another thriller
Rose-Hulman earned its third victory in its last at-bat in the last five days with a 6-5 win over Franklin in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball Tuesday night at Art Nehf Field.
-
ISU relay teams enjoy strong day at Drake Relays
It was a day for the relay teams to shine at the 104th Drake Relays Saturday as four of the five Indiana State relay teams that competed ran times that put the team among the top five in school history for their respective events.
- More College Headlines
-
Manaea's shoulder causing him latest pain
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Gov. Fallin: Okla. Facing Horrific Disaster
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
Olivia Munn Flaunts Her Bikini Bod
Britney Spears Under Fire Once Again For Being A Bad Mom
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
Nidal Hasan paid $278K while awaiting trial
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
