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LEXINGTON, KY. -- Rose-Hulman Institute
of Technology squares off with Transylvania University in the
championship game of the 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic
Conference Tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Rose-Hulman stands 19-8 on the season for its most wins in a season since the 2003-04 campaign. The Fightin' Engineers have advanced to a conference tournament championship round for the first time since the 1997-98 and would advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 1999 with a win on Sunday.
The Fightin' Engineers continue to rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense at 55.5 points per game. Rose-Hulman has won four straight games and five of its last six entering Sunday's championship game.
Austin Weatherford leads Rose-Hulman in scoring average at 12.6 points per game. Julian Strickland stands second on the squad at 12.3 points per contest.
Transylvania is ranked No. 16 nationally by d3hoops.com and is also ranked in the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Rankings. The Pioneers won 11 consecutive games before falling at Bluffton University in the regular season finale last Saturday.
Ethan Spurlin leads the Transylvania offense at 17.0 points per game. Brandon Rash scores 15.9, with Barrett Meyer also providing depth at 11.2 points per contest.
Rose-Hulman advanced to the title game with a 76-67 victory over Defiance on Friday and a 59-56 decision over Hanover on Saturday. Transylvania received a first round bye, then topped Anderson 71-59 on Saturday.
The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament which begins next week.
Live in-game audio of Rose-Hulman's tournament games will be available locally on WMHD 90.7 FM and online at wmhdradio.org. Live in-game stats and video, courtesy of Transylvania University, will be online at www.rose-hulman.edu/sports.
2012 HCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
FIRST ROUND - Friday Feb. 24 - at
Transylvania University
#3 Rose-Hulman 76, #6 Defiance 67
#5 Anderson 69, #4 Bluffton 67
SEMIFINALS - Saturday, Feb. 25 - at
Transylvania University
#3 Rose-Hulman 59, #2 Hanover 56
#1 Transylvania 71, #5 Anderson 59
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - Sunday, Feb. 26 - at Transylvania
University
#3 Rose-Hulman at #1 Transylvania, 2 p.m.