CINCINNATI, Ohio - Transylvania senior Matt Wise came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points Wednesday, shooting the Pioneers past Mt. St. Joseph 77-64 in men's Heartland Conference basketball action.
2010-11 Schedule/Results
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Transy is 10-4 overall, 4-3 HCAC, while the Lions are 3-11, 1-6 in the league. The win helped the Pioneers end a brief two-game losing streak.
Wise, whose previous career best was 12 points, hit his first six treys and finished seven of 11 overall from the field, all from long range. Brandon Rash was also hot, canning eight of nine shots, good for 17 points. The sophomore also had six rebounds and four assists.
The Pioneers sizzled from the field in the first half, canning 14 of 19 shots (73.7 percent) and led by four, 36-32, at intermission. Rash led the way with 13 points, as he hit all six of his field goal attempts. Wise was four of four from the three-point arc for 12 points.
Ben Haarman and Aaron Barber each scored six for the Lions, who shot 46 percent from the field, but had seven more attempts than the Pioneers. Transy had an 11-8 edge in rebounds, but that was off-set by a 12-8 margin in turnovers.
The Pioneers built their lead to as many as seven before Mt. St. Joseph hit a three to cap the half.
Transy stretched its lead to as many as 15 points in the second period. Although they cooled to 46 percent shooting in the second half, the Pioneers still finished the game at 58 percent, sinking 25 of 43 shots, including 11 of 24 from long range. Taylor Botkin was also in double figures with 10 points while Ethan Spurlan added nine.
They helped the Transy reserves outscore their counterparts, 45-28. The Pioneers also had a 31-22 edge on the boards.
Alex Cole led the Lions with 14 points and Haarman finished with 11.
Wise also contributed three assists and two rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Transy will play the first of four straight home games Saturday when the Pioneers host Manchester in a 3 p.m. contest at the Beck Center.