TERRE HAUTE, Ind.—A late rally and comeback attempt from the Transylvania University men's basketball team fell just short on Saturday afternoon as they battled with Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Rose-Hulman. A layup from the Engineers with one second remaining gave them the lead for the final time just two seconds after Transylvania's junior guard Parker Stansberry knocked down a jumper to give the Pioneers a 66-65 lead with three seconds to go.
With 1:57 left in the second half, Rose-Hulman's Michael Hallstein would make a layup to give the Engineers a five point, 65-60 lead. The next trip down the court, Transy netted a two point bucket when freshman forward Robert Dence dropped in a layup to draw the game within three points.
As Rose-Hulman came down the court, senior guard Tommy Sirkin forced one of 11 Transylvania steals on the day with 1:22 remaining and after a timeout was called by head coach Brian Lane, Dence scored on another layup, closing the gap to just one point with just over a minute left.
After Stansberry blocked an Engineer layup attempt, Dence pulled down one of his four rebounds of the day, giving the Pioneers the ball with a chance to take their first lead since the 7:34 mark earlier in the half. Sophomore guard Alex Jones missed a jumper with 18 seconds left, forcing Transylvania to foul after Rose-Hulman corralled the rebound.
Transy would catch a break when Rose-Hulman's Wade Stallings missed the front end of a one-and-one. Stansberry would snatch the rebound and race down the court, burying the go ahead jumper with three seconds left. After a series of timeouts and strategizing, Rose-Hulman would score the winning bucket as time expired.
"Trailing for most of the game, we kept clawing to get back in the game," said Lane. "We had some key plays late to take the lead and Rose did a terrific job of getting a great shot as the time was running out."
The Pioneers would get on the board first in the game when Robert Dence knocked down two free throws after being fouled on Transy's first possession of the game. The teams would battle for much of the first five minutes, when the score was 11-8 in favor of Rose-Hulman.
The Engineers would go on an extended run, outscoring Transy 16-6 from the 15:41 mark until there was 8:37 remaining in the opening period. The 12 point lead would be Rose-Hulman's largest of the game, but a free throw from freshman guard Sam Sergeant hit a free throw with 8:28 left in the first half to bring the Pioneers within 11.
Transylvania would begin to chip away at the gap, beating Rose-Hulman 16-10 over the closing eight minutes of the half and the Pioneers would enter the locker room down just six, 37-31. Despite shooting just 25% in the opening period, Transylvania remained well within striking distance with 20 minutes left to play.
The Pioneers would battle back and forth with Rose-Hulman for much of the second half, always staying within arm's reach. With 9:44 left, freshman guard Jake Williams buried a three-pointer to draw Transy within three points, 51-48.
Rose-Hulman would sink two free throws but Transylvania would respond, going on a quick 6-0 run to take the lead after Dence and Jones made layups and Jones forced a steal and knocked down both of his free throws after being fouled.
With the Pioneers clinging to a one point lead, the Engineers would score two unanswered buckets to take a three point lead at the 6:50 mark. Transy would force yet another turnover and score a bucket to bring the score to 57-56.
The battle would continue, as the teams traded baskets down the stretch and in the final five minutes, no team went ahead by more than two possessions. With 3:18 remaining, Williams would drill two free throws to bring Transylvania within one at 61-60.
Rose-Hulman would score two layups to take a five point lead with 1:57 remaining before the Pioneers' final push that ultimately came up just short.
Offensively, the Pioneers shot just 37.5% (21-56) from the floor including just 2-12 from three-point range. Dence paced Transylvania with 16 points while each of the other four starters all recorded double digit points. Stansberry contributed 11 while Williams and Jones each dropped in 10 points of their own. Sergeant added 13 points of his own to round out the top scorers from the Pioneers. Only two nonstarters scored for the Pioneers, Sirkin and freshman guard Dillon Pulliam, who each scored three.
Despite winning the turnover battle, forcing 16 while only committing seven, and scoring 19 points off turnovers, Transylvania allowed Rose-Hulman to shoot 53% (27-51) from the floor. Transy was out rebounded 36-29, but Stansberry pulled in nine boards to lead the Pioneers' rebounding effort.
"For the second straight game, if we rebounded the ball at the end of regulation, we have a great chance to win," Lane said.
The loss is Transylvania's fifth of the season, as they have opened up the year on a five game losing streak, including an 0-2 mark in HCAC play. "I ache for our guys because we have played some really good basketball," Lane noted. "We just haven't been able to sustain the effort for 40 minutes."
They will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 13 when Defiance College (4-2, 2-2 HCAC) visit Lexington, Ky.