Box Score LEXINGTON, Ky.- Transylvania men's basketball team beat the odds to capture their first home victory, edging No. 1 Rose-Hulman 62-59.

Freshman guard Alex Jones recorded another impressive game, netting a team-high 21 points, while recording two rebounds, and a steal.

It was Jones that netted the first shot of the contest, but the first half proved to be a rough start for the Pioneers. Rose-Hulman started with a strong lead, but the Pioneers didn't let it get them down. Within minutes, Transylvania chipped away at the Engineers' lead, started gaining ground in the final minutes.

Junior guard Isaiah Dooley dropped a 3-point shot, which Coach Lane said "gave us a spark."

Before finishing the half, the Pioneers had caught up, down only two points, 30-32.

During halftime, Assistant Coach Valentine emphasized rebounding, which the team had worked on leading up to the game.

"The last couple of days we just really, even thought it might not have looked like it in the first half, were emphasizing rebounding," Coach Lane said. "The preparation for this game was a big, big emphasis on rebounding."

Turning things around in the second half, Jones seized a 38-37 lead with a jump-shot. Rose-Hulman countered with a layup to get , but the effort was in vein. 

Freshmen guard Mason Monroe and Jones each netted shots to climb up to a 45-44 lead.

Rose-Hulman countered once again, but sophomore forward Parker Stansberry made a jumper, snagged a 47-47 tie, and sunk a 3-point shot.

Stansberry, who awed with 12 total points throughout the game, made started a scoring streak by the Pioneers by netting a jump-shot, followed by a six-point scoring streak by Monroe. The Pioneer's lead deepened to 60-55.

In the final minutes of the game, the Pioneers and Engineers were neck-and-neck. With 27 seconds on the clock, the score stood at 60-59.

Handling the pressure well, Jones netted two free throws, edging out Rose-Hulman. With an attempt to tie, Rose-Hulman missed a three-point shot, giving Transylvania the win over the Engineers,62-59.

"In the second half, we just played a whole lot tougher," Coach Lane said. While the defense struggled at first, the team really showed up after halftime, and handled the intensity well.

Offensively, the team's field goal shooting percentage increased from 39.4 percent in the first half to 44.4 percent.

Jones continued to impress, while Monroe recorded a strong day with 14 points, but Coach Lane emphasized that the entire team contributed to the win.
 
 "It was a team effort," he said, acknowledging that this triumph is a turning point for the young team. "We handled our first exam of finals week well."  

Seeking to ace another test, the Pioneers travel to Defiance College on Dec. 14.