TERRE HAUTE — Wabash cut a seven-point Rose-Hulman lead down two points with 2:48 remaining in the contest but could not get past the host Fightin’ Engineers in a 68-60 loss Monday.
Wabash (1-4) trailed 59-52 with 5:36 left on the clock before Rich Brooks drained a three-pointer from the left wing after the Little Giants forced a turnover to cut the Rose-Hulman (2-2) lead to four points. The Fightin’ Engineers connected on a pair of free throws to push the lead back to six points before Brooks answered with a second-chance jumper in the lane after Randy Kelley grabbed an offensive rebound off his own missed free throw. Brooks made it a two-point game at 61-59 at the 2:48 mark with a steal and driving layup for his eighth point of the game.
Rose regained control of the game after calling a timeout after Brooks’ basket. Miles McGowen hit two free throws and gave out an assist on a basket by Joey Schmitz to push the lead to 65-60 after a Kelley free throw. Brooks and Nate Matelic put up late three-point tries to try and mount one last offensive charge, but the shots did not fall, giving the Rose the eight-point home victory.
Wabash led most of the first half after the teams traded opening baskets. Vinny Buccilla caught fire early, scoring seven of the Little Giants’ first nine points of the game to stake the team to a 9-3 advantage three minutes into the contest. Rose eventually evened the score at 20-20 with 8:48 remaining in the first half. Gavin Schippert and Kelley drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give the Little Giants a 26-20 lead. The teams traded baskets again until Josh Whack scored on a driving layup to provide Wabash with its largest lead of the game at 32-24 with 3:49 showing on the first-period clock.
The Engineers responded with five straight points from McGowan to trim the lead to two points with 1:24 left in the half. Whack hit two free throws to stretch the edge to three points, but a Schmitz three-pointer after a Rose offensive rebound made it a one-point game at halftime.
Wabash scored the opening basket of the second half on a jumper from Kelley, but the Engineers answered with two free throws before a Little Giants’ turnover and a basket from Daniel Savovic gave Rose its first lead of the second half at 39-38. The teams traded points over the next two minutes before Rose took a 45-43 lead with 15:15 left in the game. The Engineers took a pair of six-point leads over the next ten minutes. Wabash stayed close but did not get closer than two points before Rose eventually took the seven-point advantage at the 2:48 mark of the final period.
Buccilla and Whack both finished with 10 points to lead Wabash in scoring. Brooks, Matelic, and Schippert each scored eight points. Schippert, Kelley, and Adonis House grabbed five rebounds apiece for the Little Giants.
Wabash shot 39 percent from the field, making 23 of 59 attempts. The Little Giants hit 6 of 22 three-point tries and were 8 of 16 from the free-throw line. Rose shot 50 percent from the field (23 of 46) and hit half of its three-point tries (9 of 18). The Engineers made 13 of 14 free throws in the contest.
Wabash forced Rose into 17 turnovers but only converted the Engineers’ mistakes into 11 points. The Little Giants held a one-rebound advantage, 32 to 31. Wabash snared 16 offensive boards that led to 17 second-chance points.
Wabash begins North Coast Athletic Conference play after the Thanksgiving break with a home contest at 2 p.m. Nov. 30 against Hiram College.
