INDIANAPOLIS —
The word that probably best describes the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team is efficiency.
The Engineers came into Wednesday’s game leading all NCAA Division III teams in points allowed, allowing just 47 per game while ranking fifth in the nation in field-goal defense at 35.3 percent.
Rose-Hulman (8-1) continued that status quo in a 67-43 victory against Millikin, holding the Big Blue to 37.8 percent shooting.
But the Engineers were equally adept on the offensive end, shooting 54.2 percent and getting 18 assists on 26 made field goals.
“It’s a result of execution, having guys open because of good spacing, good screening, good movement really does it,” Rose-Hulman coach Jim Shaw said.
Junior Julian Strickland scored 12 of his game-high 14 points in the first half, connecting on his only two 3-point attempts to go 5-of-6 from the field.
Strickland was a big part of Rose-Hulman’s ability to run its motion offense with great precision and inside-outside balance in the first half.
The Engineers busted out to a quick 14-4 lead to start the game as Strickland assisted James Pilliischafske on a 3-pointer just over six minutes into the action.
Millikin, playing without leading scorer T.J. Griffin, pulled within eight with 5:20 left, but the Engineers finished the first half on an 11-2 run. Strickland had seven of those 11 points.
The 6-foot-3 guard got a shooter’s roll on a 3-pointer to put his team up 27-16 and converted in the paint twice to make it 33-18.
“He’s a really good player, but what he should be measured on is he’s playing good defensively,” Shaw said. “We’ve been pretty solid defensively all year, and I thought we were really good defensively in the half court. We gave up some second shots and a little bit in transition, but then I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”
Strickland agreed that the Engineers love to rely on their defense as a steady force.
Six-foot-6 center Brenton Balsbaugh picked up two of his three blocked shots in the first half and helped the Engineers to a 19-11 edge on the glass.
“On the defensive end, a lot of people see us as a really good defensive team. We have a lot of long guards and some big, strong big men,” Strickland said.
Balsbaugh also capped the first half with a buzzer-beating conversion on desperation 3-point attempt.
Millikin did a better job of solving Rose-Hulman’s defense in the second half, shooting 50 percent, but Rose-Hulman answered with big shots when the Big Blue made a run.
Point guard Austin Weatherford put an emphatic cap on the game with a baseline drive and one-handed slam to make it 55-37 with 5:10 to play.
Balsbaugh also helped Rose hold athletic big man Deavis Johnson to five points and two rebounds. Balsbaugh finished with 12 points and six boards.
“Brenton has really been playing well. He’s been giving us what we need offensively, and he’s been playing great defensively. He cleans up a lot of messes for us and guards his own man in there really well.”
Rose-Hulman continues a four-game homestand with a Saturday game against highly-regarded Hanover. The Engineers play host to DePauw on Monday.
Rose is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com top 25 poll and will look to go to 3-0 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference on Saturday.
“It’s a huge test for us. Hanover’s one of the best teams in the league,” Shaw said. “It’s a long season. Before you start the season, this is one of the games you point to. It should be an NCAA Tournament type atmosphere with a lot of ramifications for the end of the year.”
MILLIKIN (43) — Johnson 2-7 1-4 5, Wilfer 0-4 0-1 0, Kinmon 0-0 1-2 1, Robbins 3-11 2-2 8, Clark 1-2 2-2 4, Gardner 1-4 0-0 2, Windemuller 2-5 0-0 5, Godwin 0-0 0-0 0, Day -1 0-0 0, Coltrane 0-0 0-0 0, Tueth 2-3 2-2 6, Kueker 0-0 0-0 0, Babb 0-0 0-0 0, Bollier 0-0 0-0 0, Owens 3-5 0-0 6, Knapp 1-1 0-0 2, Pilackas 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 17-45 FG, 8-13 FT, 43 TP.
ROSE-HULMAN (67) — Gerken 3-6 0-0 7, Balsbaugh 4-7 4-4 12, Weatherford 3-7 2-2 8, Pillischafske 3-3 0-0 8, Strickland 5-10 2-2 14, Dodd 1-3 0-0 3, Nielson 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 0-2 0-0 0, Gissentanner 5-6 0-0 10, Miller 2-3 1-3 5, Houpt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-48 FG, 9-11 FT, 67 TP.
Halftime score — Rose-Hulman 36, Millikin 19. 3-point shooting — Millikin 1-5 (Windemuller 1-3, Robbins 0-1, Gardner 0-1), Rose-Hulman 6-13 (Gerken 1-2, Weatherford 0-1, Pillischafske 2-2, Strickland 2-4, Dodd 1-2, Martin 0-1, Miller 0-1). Rebounds — Millikin 21 (Wilfer 5), Rose-Hulman 33 (Balsbaugh 6, Strickland 6, Gissentanner 5, Weatherford 5). Assists — Millikin 6 (Robbins 2), Rose-Hulman 18 (Strickland 4, Weatherford 4, Dodd 3). Turnovers — Millikin 17, Rose-Hulman 17. Blocked shots — Millikin 0, Rose-Hulman 6 (Balsbaugh 3, Strickland, Miller, Houpt). Steals — Millikin 8 (Clark 3), Rose-Hulman 6 (Gerken 3, Weatherford 2, Balsbaugh). Total fouls — Millikin 17, Rose-Hulman 12. Fouled out — none.
JV — Millikin 71, Rose-Hulman 69.
Next — Rose-Hulman (8-1) plays host to Hanover on Saturday at 3 p.m. Millikin falls to 3-6.
Rose-Hulman
Efficient Engineers stifle Millikin
- Rose-Hulman
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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 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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Rose men top Franklin
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Rose men run winning steak to 11 games
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Anderson holds off rally by Rose women
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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
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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
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This weekend's Rose-Hulman vs. Earlham football game canceled
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A bigger taste?
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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
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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
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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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