Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Brandon Rash and Ethan Spurlin combined for 54 points and 24 rebounds Saturday, keying Transylvania to a 75-68 Alumni Day win over Defiance in Heartland College men's basketball action at the Beck Center.
 
The Pioneers are 10-3, 5-1 in conference play, after capturing their sixth straight game. The Yellow Jackets are 7-6, 3-3 in HCAC play.
 
Transy honored head coach Brian Lane prior to tipoff for winning his 200th career game with the Pioneers. He trails only his father, Hall of Famer Don Lane (509), on the Transy all-time wins list.
 
Transy led by as many as 11 points in the first half, which ended with the Pioneers on top by that margin, 42-31. Spurlin had 15 points in the period and seven rebounds. He was backed by Rash's 14 points and five boards.
 
The Pioneers shot 52 percent in the first half (16 of 31), while the Yellow Jackets were at 40 percent (10 of 25). Defiance was led by Travis Schomaeker's nine first-half points. Transy also held a 22-10 edge on the boards.
 
Transy expanded its lead to as many as 22 points, 57-35, on a pair of Spurlin free throws at the 13:59 mark. Defiance would climb within five points twice in the final two minutes but would not catch up. Spurlin's two free throws, his 25th and 26th points of the game, set the final margin.
 
Spurlin's 17 rebounds were a career high. He also had an assist while making 10 of 22 shots. Rash was even better, scoring 28 points to tie his season high, on 10 of 14 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, two assists, and a block. Barrett Meyer added seven points and three assists. Tate Cox also had three assists to go with four rebounds and two points.
 
Transy was 28 of 53 overall (52.8 percent) while Defiance finished the game at 23 of 57 for 40.4 percent. The visitors did hit nine three-pointers to three for the Pioneers, but Transy offset that with a 38-27 edge on the boards and a 36-24 scoring edge in the paint.
 
Mason Roth paced Defiance with 16 points, but Logan Wolfrum, the HCAC's No. 2 scorer at better than 19 points a game, was held to just four points on one of nine shooting. Schomaeker finished with 13 points.
 
Spurlin moved within 30 points of 1,000 for his career as he seeks to join Rash and Meyer in that exclusive scoring club.
 
Saturday was also Alumni Day, with former Transy players meeting in an exhibition contest prior to the men's game and being introduced at haltime.
 
Transy will be back in action on Wednesday when the Pioneers travel to Hanover to take on the Panthers in a 7:30 p.m. matchup.