Box Score HANOVER, Ind. â€" The Pioneers struggled to shoot their way out of an early first-half deficit, falling on the road to Hanover Wednesday night, 87-63.

Freshman Alex Jones led the Pioneers in scoring with 15 points, while tacking on five rebounds, three assists and a steal in the loss. Hanover's stifling defense prevented any other Pioneer from hitting double-digits, but 11 total Pioneers contributed to the point total, including freshman Ethan Rowe and sophomore Parker Stansberry, netting nine each. Sophomore Joe Jennings led the team in rebounds, pulling down nine boards.

Transylvania put their mark on the board first with a fast layup in the paint by Jennings. The first four minutes of play was a tug-of-war between the teams, who traded points to tie on five separate occasions in an effort to gain an advantage.

A flurry of Transylvania rebounds and a basket by Stansberry gave the Pioneers a little breathing room at the 12-minute mark, leading 14-7. A timeout by the Panthers gave Hanover a boost, sparking an impressive 28-4 run. As the halftime buzzer sounded, Hanover had developed a substantive 17-point advantage, 45-28.

Out of the half, the Pioneers grabbed quick points thanks to a possession by Jones and a soft jumper in the lane by freshman Ethan Rowe. But, Hanover responded, netting back-to-back baskets, seemingly squelching what could have been a potential Transylvania rally.

The Panthers extended the lead over the course of the second half, maintaining a 20-point cushion for the majority of the remaining minutes. Transylvania cut the lead to a low of 16 points with 10 minutes in the contest off a 3-pointer by Rowe, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Pioneers fell in the final minutes, 87-63.

Hanover's press assisted in causing 14 Transylvania turnovers, accounting for 21 of the Panthers' total points. Their advantage in rebounding aided their transition offense, splitting the lane and shooting from inside, as 50 of the Panthers' 87 points came from inside the paint.

Transylvania men's basketball (9-15, 7-10 HCAC) wrap up their regular season on Saturday, facing conference-foe Bluffton on the road at 4 p.m.

The Pioneers currently hold the No. 5 spot in the conference standings, which will send them to the Heartland Conference tournament on February 25.