By GREG MENGELT
TERRE HAUTE — Behind the play of Ty Houston and Matt Munoz, Hanover picked up a big Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference road win Wednesday, 73-66 at Rose-Hulman.
The loss was Rose-Hulman’s second this season and its first conference defeat. The Panthers and Fightin’ Engineers are now tied at 3-1 in the league standings. Hanover’s victory at Hulbert Arena makes Defiance (Ohio) the league’s only unbeaten team. Defiance beat the Panthers 74-73 on Saturday. That’s the Panthers’ only loss of the season to date.
Houston, a junior forward from Union, Ky., had a game-high and season-high 25 points to lead all scorers. He was 7 for 13 from the field, 5 of 9 from the 3-point line and made six of his eight free throw attempts. Houston had a double-double with 10 rebounds and also had a pair of assists.
Munoz, a sophomore from Indianapolis (Southport), went 9 for 12 from the field and contributed 21 points, 6 rebounds, an assist and a steal to the victory.
New Albany graduate Isaac Hibbard (senior guard) and sophomore guard Max Greenmoyer (Zionsville/University) scored 8 points apiece. Hibbard had a game-high 9 assists to go along with 5 rebounds. Former Christian Academy standout Noah Williams finished with 5 points off the Panther bench.
Hanover jumped out to an early 14-5 lead following a Greenmoyer jumper with 14:36 left in the first half. The Engineers countered with an 18-5 run to go up 23-19. Munoz put Hanover ahead 30-29 with a jumper with 3:33 before the break. Rose-Hulman closed the half on a modest 6-2 spurt to lead 35-32 at the half.
The Engineers went ahead 47-38 early in the second half before the Panthers made their move. A 12-2 run — capped by a Williams 3-pointer — gave Hanover a 50-49 lead with 12:34 remaining. The Panthers led the rest of the way but needed clutch free throws from Williams and Houston to close out the win.
Hanover (6-1) was 13 for 26 from the field in the first half and 13 for 26 in the second half. Led by Hibbard’s 9, the Panthers assisted on 16 of 26 baskets.
Sophomore forward Dillon Duff (Fort Wayne/Snider) led a balanced Rose-Hulman attack with 15 points. Samvit Ram (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Max Chaplin (Carmel/Brebeuf) finished with 11 apiece in the loss.
The Panthers go to Kalamazoo (Mich.) for a non-conference game Monday. The Hornets are 3-6 and have lost three of their last four.
