TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology clinched hosting rights for the 2017 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament with a 65-34 victory over Manchester University on Saturday afternoon at Hulbert Arena.
The Fightin' Engineers won their 10th consecutive game and improved to 20-3 overall with the victory. Rose-Hulman has clinched at least a share of the HCAC regular season championship and will host the conference tournament on Feb. 24-25.
With the victory, Rose-Hulman also increased one of the longest current home court winning streaks in NCAA Division III women's basketball with their 23rd straight win at Hulbert Arena.
Sophomore Ally Bromenschenkel led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points. Senior Day featured key contributions from both of the team's fourth-year members, as Josie Schmidt scored 10 points with four rebounds and Abbie Marshall recorded n ine points and 10 rebounds.
Other key contributors in the balanced Rose-Hulman attack included Abby Bromenschenkel and Alyzia Dilworth with eight points each; Taylor Graham with seven points; and Chiarra Franklin with five points. Bromenschenkel added seven rebounds and four steals, Dilworth had four steals, and Franklin pitched in with five rebounds and three steals.
The team's defensive effort also played a key role in the victory, as Rose-Hulman held Manchester to just 27% from the field and to single-digit points in each of the first three quarters. Rose-Hulman led 11-7 after one quarter but relied on a late first half run to take a 30-16 lead at the half.
In the second half, Rose-Hulman continued the strong performance with eight straight points to lead 38-16 midway through the third quarter. The lead remained at 20 points or above for the rest of the game.
Rose-Hulman will host the HCAC Tournament Semifinals and Championship Game at Hulbert Arena on Feb. 24-25. The Fightin' Engineers open by facing the No. 4 or No. 5 seed on Friday Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. in the semifinal game. The championship game is at 5 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 25. The tournament also includes two opening round games held on campus sites on Tuesday Feb. 21.