HCAC leader takes down Engineers
Feb. 15—Anderson buried 15 3-point shots to clinch at least a share of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball regular-season championship with an 80-66 win over Rose-Hulman on Tuesday night inside Hulbert Arena.
Bryson Huckeby led four Ravens in double figures with 21 points on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range, while Tate Ivanyo added 17 points and Elijah Mattingly scored 16.
Willie Bowman paced Rose with 19 points on five 3-point field goals. Max Chaplin added 11 points and Bradley Harden scored 10 points with a career-high eight assists.
With the victory, Anderson earned at least a share of the HCAC regular-season title. The No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the HCAC tournament will be earned by the winner of Friday night's game between Manchester and Anderson.
Rose-Hulman can secure a first-round Sunday home game in the HCAC tournament with a win over Franklin — or a loss by Transylvania at Earlham — on Friday. Other scenarios could allow Rose to host the first-round matchup with a loss at Franklin.
Rose-Hulman held a 37-35 lead at the break after hitting seven 3-point shots in the opening 20 minutes. After Bowman hit two free throws to tie the score at 54-54 with 9:40 remaining, Anderson responded with a 13-3 run to take a 67-57 lead.
The Engineers closed within four points at 67-63 on scores by Chaplin and Miles McGowen at the 4:38 mark. The Ravens closed the game on a 13-3 run to secure the win.
Anderson improved to 16-8 and 14-3 in HCAC play, while Rose stands 14-10 and 11-6 in conference games. The Engineers will travel to Franklin on Friday night.
The HCAC tournament opening round takes place Sunday afternoon, with the top seed hosting the semifinals and finals Feb. 24-25.
