Box Score LEXINGTON, Ky. - Transylvania used big runs to start both halves Saturday and took sole possession of first place in the Heartland Conference race with a 60-46 win over Rose-Hulman at the Beck Center.

Transy committed just one turnover and held the Engineers to 2-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc, but led just 30-28 at halftime, due in part to Rose-Hulman's defense. The Engineers came into the contest with the top scoring defense in the nation, giving up just 52.1 points a game.

"It's something we really keyed on this week," said head coach Brian Lane, who watched his Pioneers (13-2, 7-1 HCAC) come out of the gates on an 8-0 run and kick off the second half with a 15-3 run. "Our goal after the first half was to get another run and sustain it, and I think we did a good job with it."

The Pioneers, who led by as many as 17 points, have won 21 of their last 23 games at home.

"They're a really well-coached team, and are always in the right positions defensively," said Lane. "All of our drives were contested and we really had to work hard for open shots."

In addition to being a matchup of the two teams atop the HCAC standings, it was also a showdown between the two best three-point shooting teams in the conference. Transy came into the game shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, with Rose-Hulman at 40.7 percent.

The Pioneers were able to hold the Engineers to just 3-for-22 shooting from three-point range, which ultimately made the difference, Lane said. "They're a very good shooting team, so it was great to guard the three the way we did."

The Pioneers were 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) from three-point range.

Transy was led by Ethan Spurlin (20 points) and Brandon Rash (16), two of the top five scorers in the conference. "I thought Spurlin and Rash had terrific games," said Lane. "They did a great job letting the game come to them and not forcing anything."

Julian Strickland scored 15 points to lead the Engineers (12-3, 6-2).

Transy is back in action on Wednesday, when the Pioneers travel to Mt. St. Joseph, coached by former Transy assistant Toby Carrigan. "He'll have them ready to go," Lane added. "There's no one else in the country that we play against that knows us better. Hopefully we can continue to play like we did tonight; execute on offense and guard the three."

The Pioneers and Lions tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.