NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Manchester University closed its 2014-15 pre-winter break home slate by putting two players in double digits Saturday, Dec. 13, against Rose-Hulman.

Senior center Alyssa Hammond (Osgood, Ind.) and senior guard Alyssa Smith (Bluffton, Ind.) each tallied 10 points to guide the Spartans (3-3, 1-2 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference). The visiting Fightin' Engineers (5-3 overall, 1-1 HCAC) managed to limit their hosts from there en route to a 52-44 victory.

MU struggled with shooting woes inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena throughout the day. Despite hitting at just a 31.3 percent clip from the field and canning just one of seven three-point tries, the Spartans held as large as five-point first half and four-point second half advantages. Rose-Hulman answered at each turn including a key 17-0 second half stretch to move to the victory.

Hammond added a co-team-high six boards, joining senior forward Abby Lang (Indianapolis, Ind.) for top honors on the glass, and Smith grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists and took away two steals. Senior forward Gracie Gibbs topped R-H with 12 points and seven rebounds and was one of five Fightin' Engineers with two steals.

The Spartans return to action by opening a two-game Texas tour Thursday, Dec. 18, at Texas Lutheran. Tipoff time is 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time inside Jones Physical Education Complex on TLU's campus in Seguin, Texas.

NOTES: Hammond, MU's season scoring leader (11 points per game), continued her consistency, reaching double figures for the fifth time in six games … Smith's dished out multiple assists in eight of her last nine appearances and picked off multiple steals in five of her last six games played.