Lexington, Ky. – On an intense afternoon with a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference playoff spot on the line, the Transylvania men's basketball team fell to the Manchester Spartans, 97-80 at the Beck Center on the Pioneers' senior day.

The Pioneers and Manchester entered the game locked in a three-way tie for fifth place with Anderson. While Manchester secured a playoff spot with the victory, a surprise loss by Anderson against last-place Franklin at home left Anderson and Transylvania tied for the final tournament seed in the HCAC standings.

With each team remaining deadlocked after the first two tiebreaker criteria, Transylvania earned the sixth seed and thus the final tournament bid by virtue of having a better road record against in-conference opponents. Transylvania's 65-62 victory on the road against Mt. St. Joseph back on February 10 proved to be significant in that it gave the Pioneers their fifth road win of the conference campaign, and one more than Anderson after a grueling 18-game conference season.   

In his final game played at the Beck Center, senior forward Parker Stansberry led the way with 31 points on 10-for-22 shooting from the field as he tried to lead a shorthanded Pioneers squad. Stansberry shot 5-for-9 from downtown and added six rebounds and a block in the defeat.

Guard Lowell Gordon was the other senior honored on this day and logged two rebounds, one assist and a block in 36 minutes of play, a team-high in that category shared with freshman Cooper Theobald.

Manchester broke free in the second half after a tight and physical first half that the Spartans led 41-32 after 20 minutes of play. The Spartans shot 67 percent from the floor in the second half and collected 12 more assists over the course of the game than the Pioneers.  

Theobald and Stansberry took turns trying to pull Transylvania back into the game in the first six minutes of the second half, but two Chase Casteel three pointers pushed Manchester's lead back to double digits.

The game contained a physical tone, with aspiring drivers for both sides being punished each time they stepped into the lane.  As the second half continued, Manchester executed patiently but quickly on a string of fast breaks which allowed them to craft a more comfortable lead. The Pioneers utilized a four-guard lineup with Stansberry to try and force the issue, but Manchester responded with timely 2-on-1 fast break conversions.

With time winding down, Stansberry made his last stand, burying back-to-back treys with three minutes left to pull the Pioneers back within 13 at 87-74. Soon thereafter with the game growing old, head coach Brian Lane pulled out Stansberry and Gordon for one final embrace at home to the ovation of an appreciative Beck Center crowd.

The Pioneers finish their regular season with an overall record of 10-15 and 9-9 in HCAC play, completing a strong finish to their season after a 2-9 start.

With the final games of the HCAC campaign drawing to a close on Saturday afternoon, conference tournament seeding was established. The #6 seed Pioneers travel to conference #1 seed Defiance to face #3 seed Hanover on Friday.

Transylvania split the season series with Hanover, with each team winning on their opponent's home floor. The quarterfinal matchup is set for an 8 p.m. tipoff.

For more on Transylvania men's basketball and their impending conference tournament journey, follow their twitter @TransyHoops