PITTSFORD, N.Y. – After falling behind early in the game, the Hilbert College men's basketball ran out of gas in their come-back bid against Nazareth College tonight.  The Hawks dropped an 82-65 non-conference contest to the Golden Flyers after they produced their lowest offensive effort this season.

Nicholas Parucki led the Hawks with 16 points, finding his rhythm in the second half with 14 while Jalen Smith added 13 points and two of the three Hilbert steals. 

Derrek Carman cleared the glass for a team-high eight rebounds and Hunter Martineau led with five assists.

As a team, Hilbert ended the game with a 43.4% field goal shooting but attempted the third lowest amount of shots from the floor this season.   

Nazareth scored 23 points off Hilbert's turnovers (18) and held a 44-24 points in the paint advantage.   The hosts found 21 points off 2nd chance efforts and limited Hilbert to only nine points.

Derrek Carman scored the game's opening bucket yet after Nazareth went on an 8-0 run, Hilbert had to play catch-up just three minutes into the contest.  Kirkland Ottey reached from beyond the arc slicing the difference to three points (8-5) but that was the closest the game would get the rest of the way.

Carman led Hilbert by intermission with six points and four rebounds while both Parucki and Josh Eddy were credited with two blocks each.  Carman and Joseph Braniecki added to the Hawks' six blocks by half time. 

Nazareth was doing all their damage in the paint, shooting 12 of 26 from inside the arc and 50% deep.

Hilbert struggled offensively in the first period earning a season-low 20 points.  The Hawks attempted only 25 field goals and sank only eight shots from the floor.

Hilbert took the floor for the final 20 minutes of action ready to play.  The Hawks attacked harder, hit 15 of 28 shots (53.6%) and went to the foul line 15 times, sinking 11.  They doubled their point production combining four made 3-pointers but they just didn't stop Nazareth's penetration to the rim.

Martineau opened the second period with a made three point shot and followed with a driving lay-up.  After each of those buckets, Nazareth went right to the basket, maintaining their half time lead.

Hilbert was knocking at the door twice when they cut the deficit to 11 points.  Smith hit a deep three-point shot in his defenders face and Parucki went on a 4-0 run slicing the score to 70-59.  Nazareth responded with a driving layup only to be countered by Carman's put-back at the other end (72-61).  The hosts ran their patterned offense and decided to not dump the ball in the paint, but rather hit a deep 3 with a Hilbert defender in good coverage with 2:44 remaining. 

Masia Phillips and Jay Bergmann finished the Hawks' scoring for the night.

The 6-6, 3-3 Hawks return to AMCC action this weekend when they host win-less Pitt-Greensburg (0-13, 0-6) in a 3pm tip.