Score: Hanover 63, Earlham 45
Location: Hanover, Ind. (Collier Arena)
Records: Earlham 6-16, 5-10 HCAC / Hanover 17-5, 12-3 HCAC

The short story: Junior forward Qawi Rucker paced Earlham with 15 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough to stop a Hanover team that shot 42.4 percent (14-of-33) from the field over the first 20 minutes and held a 37-18 lead at halftime.

OPENING TIP

• Rucker's 15-point effort was his third-straight game in double figures and his 10th this season. He was 7-of-12 from the field and 1-of-3 at the free-throw line, and was the only Earlham player to score in double figures.
• Earlham shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the field, the Quakers lowest field goal percentage and fewest field goals made in a game this season.

THE DIFFERENCE

• A 12-0 run by Hanover early in the first half allowed the Panthers to take a 14-point lead, 19-5, at the 12:54 mark of the opening frame.
• In the second half, Earlham worked the margin down to nine points, 46-37, with 10:06 remaining following a 6-0 run by the Quakers. Conner Hubbard had a pair of buckets during the run, part of his six points on the night. Hanover responded with a 13-0 run lasting four-and-a-half minutes, ending with a 59-37 lead for the Panthers with 5:32 remaining in the game.
• Defensively, the Panthers forced Earlham into committing 18 turnovers leading directly to 19 Hanover points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Earlham's bench tallied 11 points: six points by Hubbard, and five from first year guard Liam Wilkerson.
• Earlham falls into a tie for eighth place in the HCAC standings with three games left on the schedule, including two games on Schuckman Court.
• The Quakers held Hanover to nearly 10 points below its season scoring average (73.3 PPG) and nearly eight percent off its season field goal percentage (.467 FG%).

NEXT UP
Earlham men's basketball returns home to face Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 4:00 p.m.