Dalton Christopher
Assistant Athletic Director - Communications & Media
dchristopher@transy.edu

LEXINGTON, KY - Transylvania University kicked off Basketball Week in Lexington with a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) victory over Rose-Hulman on Saturday, 70-65. Basketball Week is a week long celebration of the history and culture of the sport in Lexington in recognition of the city's 250th birthday in 2025. 

Transylvania opened the afternoon with a three-pointer from Ian Reesor as the Pioneers battled back from an early 6-0 deficit in the opening minutes of the game. Moments later, Reesor knocked down another three-pointer, followed by a fast break lay-up from Colby Napier that pulled the Pioneers to within one point. Hunter Penn went to work in the post, completing the extra point opportunity after a foul on a made basket. A lay-up from Napier and a three-pointer from Drew Marshall gave Transylvania the lead, 23-21, with less than six minutes remaining in the half. Penn scored the next six points for the Pioneers as Transylania began to extend their lead, Napier scored from three-point range to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the half at eight points with less than two minutes to go in the half. 

Entering the second half with a 34-30 lead, Ian Reesor scored another three-point basket to start the half. Penn and Reesor exchanged baskets for the Pioneers, scoring the next 15 points for Transylvania during the opening ten minutes of the half. With 08:47 remaining, Hunter Barr scored a three-point basket to give the Pioneers a 57-50 advantage. With less than a minute remaining, Rose-Hulman pulled to within one point of the Pioneers, but successful trips to the free throw line for Penn and Marshall secured the Pioneers victory, 70-65. 

Hunter Penn, who finished with 23 points and six rebounds to lead Transylvania, reached a career milestone of 1,000 points in Saturday's victory. Reesor finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Marshall finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. 

Key Stats

- Transylvania outscored Rose-Hulman in points off turnovers and second chance opportunities.
- The Pioneers bench outscored Rose-Hulman's bench 20-15.

"This was the first game all season that we had our entire team available, we have nine guys that have started this year and hopefully that experience will pay off down the conference stretch," said Head Coach Brian Lane after the victory. "We were able to maintain the lead throughout the game with our defense. This was a unique game because we only had five people score, Penn was a beast down low and Drew Marshall was terrific off the bench. Ian Reesor was huge for us at the start of the game with some key baskets. It was a great start to Lexington's Basketball Week!"

Up next for Transylvania is a match-up with HCAC opponent Berea College on Wednesday, January 29th at the Clive M. Beck Center. Action tips off at 7:30 p.m.

Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at www.transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.