LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Transylvania Pioneers overcame an 11-point deficit in the final four minutes as Alex Jones hit two three-pointers, including the game-tying basket in the closing seconds, but the Pioneers came up on the short, 70-68, against the Hanover College Panthers Wednesday night at the Clive M. Beck Center.

Despite the loss, the Pioneers remain in the hunt for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament berth with the regular season coming to a close Saturday.

Trailing 68-62 with 50 seconds left in regulation, Jones hit from downtown and cut the margin to three at 68-65. After Hanover failed to convert two free throws, Jones nailed another clutch three to tie the score at 68 with just 17 seconds remaining, but a Hanover basket with 1.8 seconds left to play sealed the victory for the Panthers.

As the game began, the teams traded blows, and the Pioneers trailed for much of the first half until Robert Dence scored on the feed from Jones to give Transylvania a 17-16 lead with 9:24 left. The Pioneers took a 23-16 lead at the 6:40 mark in the opening period, but the Panthers battled back and took a 34-32 lead at intermission.

In the second half, Hanover led by as many as 13 before the Pioneers erased the lead. Down 64-53 with 4:07 on the clock, Parker Stansberry hit a free throw and a three-pointer to pull the Pioneers to within seven at 64-57 with 2:05 remaining. A Lowell Gordon three-pointer cut the Panther lead to 66-60 with just 1:38 on the clock before Jones tied the game.

For the game, the Pioneers were led by Jones' 20 points and seven assists. Stansberry added 15 points and eight boards. Tim Bickel also hit double-figures with 11 points. The Panthers, who hit 9-of-18 (50 percent) from three-point range, were led by Wes McKinney's 21 points and nine rebounds.

Transylvania (12-12, 9-8 HCAC) returns home for their regular-season finale for senior day on Saturday against Bluffton. The game is slated to begin at 4 p.m.