Box Score
Host Mount St. Joseph University connected on 12-of-14 second half free throws, and held a 19-10 rebounding edge over the final 20 minutes of play, as they erased a three-point halftime deficit en route to a 58-56 win doday over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The Lions, winners of six straight games, improve to 12-3 overall, 7-1 in the HCAC, while Rose-Hulman falls to 10-5, 5-3. The Mount holds a one game lead in the conference over Defiance College.
The Fightin' Engineers grabbed an early lead in the game, and led throughout, until Travis Combs (Manchester, OH/Manchester) fired in his second straight three-pointer, with 6:24 on the clock, knotting the score at 20-all. Rose-Hulman, however, would forge ahead, thanks to accurate free throw shooting and an efficient inside-outside scoring attack, to lead 30-23, before the Mount, relying on its perimeter game, got to within two points (30-28), with 1:39 left in the half. Jordan Henry (Lexington, KY/Bryan Station) connected on a free throw with just over one second left to play, making the margin at the half, 32-29. Rose-Hulman held a 50 to 41 percent shooting edge in the first half, and controlled the boards, 17-13.
The Mount's Ken Kunkel (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) tied the score in the second half at 16:58 (34-all) with two free throws, and the Lions' defense held Rose-Hulman scoreless almost seven minutes during one span. The Mount raced out to a 49-39 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. A Fightin' Engineer lay-up with 2:22 would cut the deficit, however, to 57-52, but Erik Edwards (Cincinnati, OH/Roger Bacon) made a free throw with with 1:42 to play to up the Mount's advantage to 58-52. Rose-Hulman would score the game's next four points, the last coming with 1:29 to play to narrow their deficit to 58-54. A Rose-Hulman lay-up with 49 seconds to play would make the score Mount, 58-56. The Lions missed a three-pointer with 27 seconds to play and Rose-Hulman grabbed the defense rebound. The Fightin' Engineers set up a play under their basket but missed a game-tying attempt inside the lane at the final buzzer.
The Lions finished 15-of-18 from the free throw line in the game, to Rose-Hulman's eight-of-12 from the charity stripe. The Mount also held a 32-27 rebounding margin, while forcing 16 turnovers. Femi Thompson (Cincinnati, OH/Aiken) led the Lions with 12 points, while Kunkel and Combs each chipped in 10 points. Joel Scudder (Greendale, IN/South Dearborn) had a game-high eight rebounds.
