STEUBENVILLE, OH – The Hilbert College men's basketball team took control of the game early then had to battle back from an almost double-digit deficit in the second half but come out on top, beating Franciscan University 101-94 in a non-conference game in Ohio today.

THE BASICS              

• Final Score: Hilbert 101  |  Franciscan 94
• Location: Kuzma Court, Steubenville, OH
• Records: I  Hawks 3-2 | Barons 2-2 

HIGHLIGHTS
 
Shaheem Ellis notched a career-high 24 points, shooting just under 50-percent from the arc (5/11).  Eric Jackson posted his first 20-point game, hitting six of nine from the field and 7-for-11 at the foul line.
Nevada Eldridge hit his first double figure scoring game after he tossed in 11 points, and led with seven rebounds and Shawn Gashi chipped in 10 points, three steals and five assists in the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 

• The first 20-minutes of action was tight and a series of runs. 
• Statistically, both teams were evenly matched in fouls called against, second chance points, points in the paint, points off turnovers, steals, and blocked shots, but the Hawks built a 12-3 advantage in fast-break points, hit 5-of-8 from deep and 65.6-percent from the floor (21-32).  Hilbert's deep bench once again was helpful as it outscored the Barons bench 30-13, dominated the glass (23-14) and held the lead for 88.7-percent of the first half.
• Eric Jackson's traditional 3-point play put the Hawks on the score board in the first 13-seconds of the game.  Shaheem Ellis' 3-point hit gave the Hawks their largest first half lead at 14:13 (20-12) but at 10:31 Franciscan took a 27-25 lead after going on a 7-0 run.
• Ellis strung together eight-Hilbert points, tipping the score back in favor of the royal and white as the Hawks stretched their lead back up to nine points twice before intermission.
• Jackson (3-3) and Ellis (3-5 beyond the arc) led with 11 points after 20 minutes.  Nevada Eldridge led with six rebounds and added eight points in seven minutes off the bench helping the Hawks to a 54-48 lead at the break.
• The pace of the game changed at the start of the second half; the Barons scored two quick buckets slicing the difference back to a 2-point game but Powell responded off a fast-break bucket the next trip.  Both teams traded hoops the next five minutes until the Hawks were tagged with three consecutive turnovers.
• Franciscan knotted the game at 66-all off a baseline out of bounds play and continued to pressure in the full court.
• Demery scored in the paint lifting the Hawks by two, but that lead disappeared after the next Baron possession as they knocked down a deep baseline shot (69-68).
• Franciscan went up by eight (78-70) off a pair of dribble-kick 3s and forced a Hawk timeout with 11:07 left.
• Franciscan continued to hit from beyond the arc while the Hawks were aggressive to the rim getting into the double bonus with seven minutes left in the game.
• Hilbert closed the game on a 22-8 run, displaying energy and aggression at both ends of the floor.
• Demery made a diving save to keep the ball from going out of bounds on the defensive end of the floor.  He delivered the ball to Gashi, who feed Ellis at the 3-point line at the opposite end of the floor, cutting the margin back to a two-possession game.
• Both teams then traded hoops or free throws.  Gashi made a few defensive stops, Ellis connected from deep, Powell made free throws and the Hawks were right back in the game.
• Eldridge, after making a great defensive block-out, drawing an over-the-back foul, made both free throws and forced a 92-92 game with 3:10 left.
• Gashi picked the pocket of a Baron on a break-away drive, then he went coast-to-coast for an easy layup knotting the game once more (94-94).
• Hilbert regained the lead for good (96-94) when Edward Perez scored off an offensive put back with 1:30 left and limited the Barons offensively en route to their first 100+ point game of the season.

 
GAME NOTES

• Edward Perez led with three hustle offensive rebounds (5 R) and made three of four shots from the floor while all 12 players filled the stat sheet in today's win.  
• By the final horn, Hilbert built a 31-14 advantage in fast-break points, a 53-19 spread in bench scoring and a 12 board advantage on the glass (46-34)
• The Hawks finished the game hitting 58.1-percent from the field, made 7-of-16 from beyond the arc and sank only 22-of-36 free throws.
• The Barons connected on 46.8-percent from the floor, made 9-of-25 3-point shots and hit 13-of-23 at the charity stripe.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Hawks return to Hamburg Tuesday night when they welcome Elmira College in a non-conference double header with the women's teams.  The men will tip at 7:30 pm against the 0-4 Soaring Eagles.