LEXINGTON, Ky.—A 13-2 run in the first half coupled with hot shooting and tenacious defense propelled the 19th ranked Transylvania Pioneers to an 89-81 victory over the Hanover (Ind.) College Panthers Wednesday night at the Clive M. Beck Center.
Wednesday's game marked a rematch of last year's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship game that the Pioneers won 110-70 to earn a NCAA Tournament berth.
Trailing 23-14 midway through the first half, the Pioneers went on a 13-2 run over the next 4:28 to take a 27-25 lead. The decisive run began with a basket by Jordin Fender who faked a no-look pass and exploded to the basket. Kayla Dobson added a three-pointer, Katelyn Smith chipped in four points during the run, while Nicole Coffman and Hannah Neeley had two points each.
Transylvania took a 35-33 lead with 3:03 left in the first half and never looked back holding a 44-37 lead at the break.
In the half, the Pioneers shot 17-for-27 (63 percent) from the field and added 15 points off of 12 Panther turnovers. For the half, the Pioneers were led by Smith's 13 points, while Fender added 10 in the half.
Hanover (7-5) closed to within five points at 86-81 with just :51.2 remaining in the contest, before Smith pulled down a key defensive rebound. Smith picked up a foul and converted on both free throws giving the Pioneers an 88-81 advantage with :12.4 remaining. Coffman added an insurance free throw with :2.7 remaining, after grabbing a defensive rebound and Transylvania (11-1) scored an 89-81 victory.
For the game, the Pioneers were led by Smith's 32 points. Coffman added 19 points and Fender finished with 14 points.
The Pioneers shot 54 percent from the field while the defense forced 17 Panther turnovers that led to 25 Transylvania points.
Hanover was led by Jessie Davidson's 27 points and Megan Caudill added 20 points. Alicia Hopkins chipped in 18 points, and Kelsey Block also hit double figures with 10 points.
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Jan.10, at 1 p.m. versus Manchester University.