Fort Wayne, Ind. – The 4th-seeded Indiana Tech men’s basketball team kicked off Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament play with a 75-64 win over 5th-seeded Aquinas College on Wednesday night. After holding a two point edge at halftime, the Warriors shot a scorching 56 percent from the floor to outscore the Saints 46-37 in the second half.
WHAC Player of the Year Rodney Bartholomew (Port Sulphur, LA/Corning) took the game over in the second half, scoring 20 of his game-high 24 points to lead the Warriors back from an eight point deficit. Fellow senior Chris Ware (Hammond, IN/Pittsburg St.) also had a big game recording a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Juniors Jordan Hickman (Bardstown, KY/Vincennes) and Melvin Brooks (Memphis, TN/Marion Military) both added 10 points while Hickman added five assists and four boards.
Both teams started hot, matching each other shot for shot, and just over three minutes into the game were tied 9-9. Tech grabbed a 13-9 lead after two quick scores from sophomore Jeff Hoskins (Kalamazoo, MI/Indiana Wesleyan) and Ware at the 15:10 mark.
The Warriors would hold their lead for the rest of the half, extending it to as high as eight, 27-19, with 5:35 remaining. However, Aquinas ended the half on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to just two at the break, 29-27.
In the second half, the Saints built off their momentum from the end of the first period and used it to take an eight point lead of their own, 50-42, at the 11:53 mark.
But, Tech withstood the barrage of three’s from the Saints and answered with a quick 9-0 run to retake the lead 51-50 midway through the half. The teams traded baskets over the next couple minutes, battling to a 57-57 tie with 6:35 left on the clock.
From there the Warriors defense locked down the Saints shooters, holding Aquinas to just one field goal over the next four minutes. Meanwhile another big scoring run by Tech pushed their lead to double digits and secured the win. Four straight points from Hoskins put Tech up 61-57. After a Saints bucket, Bartholomew converted an old fashioned three point play and Brooks followed with five straight points giving Tech a 69-59 lead at the 2:26 mark and would hang on for the victory.
The win advances the Warriors to the WHAC Championship semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tech will travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a matchup with the top-seeded Panthers of Davenport University beginning at 3 p.m.
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