Box Score TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Barrett Meyer, Chris Owens, and Tate Cox combined to convert seven of eight free throws in the final 1:21 Saturday as Transylvania held off Rose-Hulman 56-51 in Heartland Conference men's basketball action.

The 18th-ranked Pioneers are 19-2, 13-1 in league play, and have won eight straight games. Rose-Hulman is 14-7, 8-6 HCAC. Transy increased its edge over Hanover in the conference race to two games when the Panthers lost to Earlham on Saturday. The Pioneers have just four games left as they seek to host the conference tourney for the first time since 2009.

Transy is off to its best start since the 2000-01 team won 20 of its first 21 games en route to a 27-2 season.

Owens gave the Pioneers the lead for good when he canned two free throws at the 1:21 mark for a 51-49 edge. Meyer hit three of four to make it 54-51 with 16 seconds left and Cox sealed the deal with a pair of tosses at the four-second mark to set the final score after Rose-Hulman missed a potentially tying three-pointer with seven seconds to go.

Ethan Spurlin led the Pioneers with 15 points and six rebounds and Cox finished with 12 points. Meyer was also in double figures with 11 points. Ashley Hatfield had seven points and five boards off the bench.

Jordy Martin had 17 points to pace the Engineers in a reserve role.

Transy was outshot from the field, 41-39 percent, but won the game at the charity stripe. The Pioneers hit 18 of 21 to just three of seven for the home team. Transy outrebounded Rose-Hulman 30-28 and the teams combined to committ just 17 turnovers.

The Pioneers trailed early in the contest by as many as seven points, but came back to post a 26-25 lead at intermission behind eight points apiece from Spurlin and Cox. The Pioneers hit 42 percent of their first-half field goal attempts while the Engineers were  an identical 10 of 24. Transy's edge came at the free throw line, where it was four of four, while Rose-Hulman was two of four.

Austin Weatherford and Julian Stickland each posted eight points for the Engineers.

Transy is back in action at the Beck Center on Wednesday, hosting Mt. St. Joseph at 7:30 p.m. Transy will host Senior Day activities for Owens and Michael Stone next Saturday against Manchester at 3 p.m., a Coaches vs. Cancer event.