TERRE HAUTE —
Playing the final home game of his men’s basketball career Saturday in Hulbert Arena, Blake Knotts burned the nets for six 3-point goals and a season-high 18 points to lead Rose-Hulman over Hanover 75-61 in a battle of top-three teams in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
“Guys were getting it to me in good spots,” the 5-foot-10 senior guard emphasized. “They were penetrating… and it’s a shot we practice every day in practice. It just worked out well today.”
“It was great to see him break out in his last home game,” Rose men’s coach Jim Shaw told the Tribune-Star. “He’s had trouble getting shots this year, partially due to our own difficulties and partially due to him being a major emphasis for other teams.”
Junior Austin Weatherford and sophomore Julian Strickland, playing a rare reserve role because of Shaw’s decision to start all three seniors, contributed 18 and 17 points respectively. Senior center Spencer Harlan, a Terre Haute native making only his second start of the season, pitched in with 11 points as the Engineers finished third in the HCAC regular-season standings, one game behind second-place Hanover.
“I was so happy to start, especially with all my family here,” Harlan admitted. “Coach [Shaw] told us the other day in practice that the seniors were going to be starting, so I was expecting it.”
The Engineers will face Defiance at 6 p.m. Friday in the first round of the conference tournament at regular-season champion Transylvania, located in Lexington, Ky.
Earlier Saturday afternoon, the Rose-Hulman women lost to Hanover, which tied for first with Franklin in the HCAC standings, by an 83-57 score. Making her final home appearance, senior Alisa Dickerson posted 24 points and seven rebounds and sophomore Kelsey Ploof added 15 points for the Engineers, who still qualified for the HCAC tournament.
As the No. 6 seed, they will take on No. 3 Manchester at 8 p.m. Friday in Franklin’s gym.
“We kept it close for about the first 15 minutes,” Rose women’s coach Jon Prevo said of Saturday’s loss. “They’ve got numbers [of players] and we don’t… Hanover shot the ball extremely well today. Overall, the final score did not indicate how hard our kids fought, but it was an indication of how good Hanover is.”
Top scorers for Hanover were Alicia Hopkins with 17 points and substitute Natalie Morse with 13. The visitors connected on 12 of 22 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc, compared to 0-for-8 shooting from long range for Rose-Hulman.
Before the contest, Dickerson received flowers and a plaque as tributes to her eventful four-year career.
“Alisa had another outstanding game,” Prevo mentioned later. “Everything she’s done for four years, she did today and more. I can’t say enough about Alisa. I wish I had her for four more years.”
In the men’s matchup Saturday, Rose used a 7-0 run — consisting of a mini-hook by Brenton Balsbaugh, a 3-pointer by Strickland and an inside bucket by Harlan — to turn a 13-11 deficit into an 18-13 lead in the first half.
The Engineers built a 31-19 halftime advantage thanks to treys by Weatherford, Strickland and Weatherford again in the final 2:36.
Shaw’s squad blew the contest open in the second half, padding its cushion to 52-27 on the heels of consecutive 3s by Knotts, Strickland and Knotts again.
Five of Knotts’ trifectas came in the second half as he climbed into second place on the school’s all-time list for 3-pointers made with 193. Britt Petty (1987-91) owns the career record with 245.
“It’s pretty easy if I can just stand out there and shoot 3s when guys get it to me when I’m wide open,” Knotts pointed out.
As a team, the Engineers were good on 13 of 22 attempts from behind the arc.
“The lid finally came off the basket for us from the perimeter,” Shaw said. “We had not been shooting it well and sometimes it just takes a couple going in to get everybody going. We can just hope that that carries over because … if you’re not making shots, it makes winning very difficult.”
“It was definitely a team win,” Harlan added. “We shot 60 percent [actually 59.1] from 3. It was awesome. We were on such a roll. When the team has energy like that, it’s amazing to play with them.”
In the final minute, Harlan got into the 3-point act by firing in the first of his college career.
“Coach called the play and I went up and shot it,” he explained. “I thought ‘there’s no way that’s going in.’ But it went in, so I was pretty happy.”
“I would like every post player who plays four years here to be able to launch [and make] a 3,” Shaw noted. “It’s similar to when baseball coach [Jeff] Jenkins tries to give all his pitchers an at-bat before they graduate… Spencer’s actually a good shooter. He’s worked real hard on that. So I ran a play to get him that 3 and it worked better than I ever dreamed.
“I feel bad, though, because in no way, shape or form was I trying to put anything in Hanover’s face. I was just trying to do something that one of my kids would remember the rest of his life.”
Overall, the veteran coach couldn’t think of a better ending to the home careers of seniors Knotts, Harlan and Jason Haslag.
“They’re great kids and they’ve been very supportive of me as a coach and of their teammates,” Shaw stressed. “They’ve all had significant roles in their career here and they’ve all done a great job of accepting their roles this year as we’ve increased our overall talent level.”
WOMEN
HANOVER COLLEGE (83) — Schmahl 0-2 3-6 3, Trambaugh 2-4 3-3 7, Hopkins 6-9 2-3 17, Prater 0-1 3-4 3, Bowyer 1-1 0-0 2, Caudill 0-0 0-0 0, Brewer 2-7 0-0 5, Weddle 1-2 5-7 7, Morse 4-7 2-2 13, Gahimer 4-6 0-0 9, Withered 1-3 0-0 3, Watson 0-1 2-2 2, Bischoff 3-3 0-0 9, Hopf 1-4 1-2 3. Totals 25-50 FG, 21-29 FT, 83 TP.
ROSE-HULMAN (57) — Finnell 2-6 1-2 5, Williams 1-7 2-4 4, Gibbs 4-9 1-2 9, Dickerson 7-11 10-12 24, Ploof 3-6 9-9 15, Dalton 0-0 0-0 0, Fuhs 0-2 0-0 0, Rollins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-42 FG, 23-29 FT, 57 TP.
Halftime score — HC 38, RH 29. 3-point shooting — HC 12-22 (Bischoff 3-3, Morse 3-4, Hopkins 3-5, Gahimer 1-2, Withered 1-3, Brewer 1-4, Trambaugh 0-1), RH 0-8 (Gibbs 0-1, Rollins 0-1, Finnell 0-3, Williams 0-3). FG Pct. — HC .500, RH .405. 3-pt. FG Pct. — HC .545, RH .000. FT Pct. — HC .724, RH .793. Rebounds — HC 29 (Hopf 6, Hopkins 4), RH 32 (Gibbs 8, Dickerson 7, Ploof 4). Assists — HC 16 (Schmahl 5, Hopkins 4, Gahimer 3), RH 6 (Gibbs 2). Steals — HC 16 (Hopkins, Bowyer and Gahimer 3), RH 9 (Finnell, Dickerson, Ploof and Fuhs 2). Turnovers — HC 13, RH 24. Blocks — HC 3 (Bowyer, Withered and Watson), RH 4 (Dickerson 2, Gibbs and Fuhs). Total fouls — HC 22, RH 19. Fouled out — Finnell, Att. — 350.
Next — Rose-Hulman (8-17 overall, 8-12 HCAC) will face Manchester in the first round of the HCAC tournament at 8 p.m. Friday at Franklin. Hanover finished its regular season 20-4 and 16-2 respectively.
MEN
HANOVER COLLEGE (61) — Rieger 0-1 0-0 0, Case 5-7 2-2 12, Hendricks 1-3 0-0 3, Nowicki 5-11 7-8 18, James 0-2 0-0 0, Bass 1-2 0-0 2, Kring 6-8 0-1 13, Fletcher 0-0 0-0 0, Faehr 0-3 0-0 0, Crabtree 3-7 1-2 8, Steinhart 0-2 0-0 0, Ashton 0-1 1-2 1, Gunter 0-0 1-2 1, Bromm 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 22-49 FG, 12-17 FT, 61 TP.
ROSE-HULMAN (75) — Haslag 0-1 0-2 0, Harlan 3-3 4-4 11, Knotts 6-11 0-0 18, Weatherford 4-11 8-10 18, Gissentanner 2-7 0-0 5, Pillischafske 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Strickland 7-9 0-0 17, Gerken 2-2 0-2 4, Balsbaugh 1-1 0-0 2, Hallstein 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-45 FG, 12-18 FT, 75 TP.
Halftime score — RH 31, HC 19. 3-point shooting — HC 5-21 (Hendricks 1-1, Bromm 1-1, Kring 1-3, Nowicki 1-4, Crabtree 1-5, Rieger 0-1, Bass 0-1, Faehr 0-2, Steinhart 0-1), RH 13-22 (Knotts 6-11, Strickland 3-3, Weatherford 2-5, Harlan 1-1, Gissentanner 1-2). FG Pct. — HC . 449, RH .556. 3-pt. FG Pct. — HC .238, RH .591. FT Pct. — HC .706, RH .667. Rebounds — HC 25 (Steinhart 4, Case, Nowicki and Faehr 3), RH 30 (Weatherford 8, Harlan 7, Haslag and Strickland 3). Assists — HC 9 (Hendricks 3, Bass and Faehr 2), RH 18 (Weatherford 6, Strickland 4, Gissentanner 3, Haslag 2). Steals — HC 9 (Nowicki 3, Hendricks 2), RH 6 (Weatherford and Gerken 2). Turnovers — HC 15, RH 17. Blocks — HC 1 (Faehr), RH 1 (Gerken). Total fouls — HC 17, RH 15. Fouled out — none. Att. — 600.
Next — Rose-Hulman (17-8 overall, 11-7 HCAC) will take on Defiance in the first round of the HCAC tournament at 6 p.m. Friday at Transylvania. Hanover finished its regular season 16-8 and 12-6 respectively.
Rose-Hulman
Engineer men knock off Hanover College
- Rose-Hulman
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Rose-Hulman swimmers flying to nationals
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Despite four NCAA Division III titles, Rose-Hulman’s Liz Evans remains as driven as ever
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Balsbaugh’s late-season scoring giving Rose-Hulman a lift
If someone were to predict before last weekend that Rose-Hulman would capture its second straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship in men’s basketball and that senior Brenton Balsbaugh would be named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, fans probably would believe the first statement but consider the second as wishful thinking.
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Rose-Hulman baseball team kicking off season in Florida
Jeff Jenkins is serious about his baseball.
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Rose-Hulman men clinch conference title
Rose-Hulman will host the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament and claimed the league’s regular-season title with a 59-57 win at Hanover College on Saturday.
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No. 23 Rose-Hulman takes down No. 22 Transylvania on the road
No. 23 ranked Rose-Hulman claimed a two-game lead in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball standings with a 54-49 victory at No. 22 Transylvania University on Saturday.
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Rose-Hulman 18-2 after pulling away from Anderson
Rose-Hulman opened the second half on a 20-3 run to pull away and earn a convincing 71-40 men’s basketball victory at Anderson University on Wednesday night.
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Freshman paces Engineer women to HCAC win
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team improved to 10-10 for the season and 6-7 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a 52-44 win over Anderson on Wednesday in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose men top Franklin
Rose-Hulman improved to 14-2 overall and kept its Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference lead at 8-1 with a 58-42 men's basketball victory at Franklin College on Wednesday night.
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Rose men run winning steak to 11 games
Anderson arrived in Terre Haute with a 7-6 record and a scoring average of 76.5 points per game.
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Anderson holds off rally by Rose women
Rose-Hulman rallied from an 11-point deficit to close within three points late, but Anderson University held on to earn a 64-57 victory in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball Wednesday night inside O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
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Rose-Hulman men ranked 26th in Division III
Rose-Hulman’s men’s basketball team is ranked 26th nationally in the d3hoops.com national weekly poll released on Thursday.
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Gerken hits game-winner to put Rose-Hulman at 9-1 on season
Making the game-winning shot, with what turned out to be seven-tenths of a second to go, was probably the easy part for Jon Gerken on Saturday afternoon in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose women struggle from field in loss to Hanover
In the Rose-Hulman women’s college basketball game, frigid shooting undermined good work the Engineers did in other aspects of the game against Hanover.
The Engineers came out on the wrong end, 55-43. -
Efficient Engineers stifle Millikin
The word that probably best describes the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team is efficiency.
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Rose-Hulman women's basketball regains Clabber Girl Trophy
Rose-Hulman reclaimed the Clabber Girl Trophy for the first time since 2009 with an 80-74 women’s basketball victory over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Tuesday night in Hulbert Arena.
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Balanced Rose tops Fontbonne
Senior forward Nate Gissentanner came off the bench to deliver 14 points for balanced Rose-Hulman in a 72-54 men’s basketball victory over Fontbonne University on Wednesday night in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose-Hulman men's basketball preview: Engineers looking to follow up last year’s success
It’s pretty safe to say that expectations for the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team have not been this high since the late 1990s when the Engineers reached the NCAA Division III tournament three times within a four-year period.
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Rose-Hulman women's basketball preview: Engineers continuing to improve
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team didn’t dominate many opponents last season when it ended up with records of 9-18 overall and 6-12 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
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Earlham tragedy leads to Rose football cancellation
Little did Rose-Hulman’s football players and coaches know, their 42-8 home victory over Anderson University last Saturday turned out to be their final game of the season.
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This weekend's Rose-Hulman vs. Earlham football game canceled
Due to Friday's tragic events involving three Earlham College students, the football game between Earlham and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been canceled.
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Anderson squeaks past Rose-Hulman
Anderson University scored in the 11th minute and held off a Rose-Hulman charge to earn a 1-0 men's soccer victory in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinal match on Wednesday night at the Engineer Intramural Field.
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Rose swimmers near top because of vets, youth
Rose-Hulman swimming depth is at an all-time high, putting the Engineers at No. 15 in the NCAA Division III national rankings.
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A bigger taste?
On the night of Oct. 14, Rose-Hulman basketball fans were treated to something described by a couple of men’s players as “spectacular” and “epic” when they all jammed into Hulbert Arena for the insititute’s first “Midnight Madness” to tip off a season.
The memorable site wasn’t a 360-degree dunk or a no-look, behind-the-back pass.
It was Rose men’s coach Jim Shaw performing the “Bernie Dance,” based on the deceased character from the 1989 movie “Weekend At Bernie’s.”
“For a second, I thought he was having a seizure,” senior starting guard Austin Weatherford said with a straight face later. -
Rose women picked for 6th
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference this season, according to a preseason poll of league coaches released Tuesday.
Hanover and Franklin were selected for first and second respectively, with just two poll points separating the two squads. -
Rose-Hulman no match for Franklin
Franklin showcased its No. 23 NCAA Division III ranking from d3football.com in a 56-0 victory over Rose-Hulman in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football Saturday.
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Rose blanks Woods 3-0 in women’s soccer
Rose-Hulman women’s soccer coach Amy Helliwell is riding a youth movement to what she hopes could produce a strong turnaround in this 2012 season.
It has so far.
Led by freshman Hayley Gilliam, a Zionsville native, the Engineers improved to 5-4-1 for the season with a dominant 3-0 victory against cross-county rival St. Mary-of-the-Woods College on Wednesday at Jim Rendel Field. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Engineers dominate HCAC honors
Rose-Hulman Institute student-athletes earned three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards, in results released by the league office on Monday.
West Vigo graduate John Burt was named HCAC Defensive Player of the Week and Eric Schaible the Special Teams Player of the Week in football, and B.J. Thompson earned Player of the Week honors in men’s soccer.
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Snyder throws for two early TDs in Rose-Hulman victory
Rose-Hulman scored 33 points in the middle two quarters and held off a Defiance rally to earn a 33-20 victory in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football opener for both schools Saturday.
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Rose’s record setter
Kyle Kovach got off to a great start in Rose-Hulman’s football season opener Saturday night in what turned out to be a heartbreaking 29-28 home loss to Kalamazoo College at Cook Stadium.
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