Hamburg, N.Y. – The Hawks competed passionately for the full 40 minutes against Wells but were unable to take the lead and fell short 78-81. 
 

THE BASICS

• Final Score:  Hilbert 78   I  Wells 81
• Location: Hafner Recreation Center  I Hamburg, NY
• Records:  Hawks 4-6  I  Express 4-5

HIGHLIGHTS

The Hawks had three players notch double digit scoring led by Quran Briggs' 20 points in his 27 minutes of play (five rebounds). When Briggs' didn't have the ball, Jon Evans (12 points) and Jahmel Demery (12 points) cleaned up in the paint for the Hawks.   

Jon Evans hit his second career double-double with 13 rebounds (seven offensive, six defensive rebounds), and 12 points. He was on fire tonight shooting 63% from the floor.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Wells hit the ground running and never looked back. The Express scored in the first two-seconds of the game and only conceded the lead once in the first half.
• Hilbert had 9 turnovers attempting to push the ball quickly down the court and Well's capitalized 11 of their 46 first half points off of the missteps. 
• Quran Briggs' hit two of his three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the game to rally up the crowd. 
• Jon Evans was exceptional on the boards, rebounding nine in the first half alone. 
• The Express began to pull away from the Hawks but Michael Pollard ignited his team with a steal at 11:07 and was fouled by Wells fighting for possession. Pollard hit his two free throws to put the Hawks within 10.
• The Express continued to push but the Hawks continued to run with them keeping a fast pace - seeing big baskets from Eric Jackson, Nevada Eldridge, a fast paced 3-pointer from Zach Miller, a basket from Jamel Demery assisted by Shawn Gashi with a beautiful set-up, and a powerful jumper made by Jon Evans after grabbing an offensive rebound deep in the paint. 
• The crowd was fired up as the Hawks pulled within 4 points at halftime. 
• Wells started the second half at a steady pace while the Hawks struggled to find their momentum from the first half ending - missing their first four shots in the first three minutes. 
• Hilbert clawed within four points with another layup by Jon Evans and a good free throw attempt by Eric Jackson with 15:25 left to go on the clock.
• The Hawks intensified their play led by a missed jumper by Quran Briggs whom then followed his shot, grabbed the ball for an offensive rebound, and was fouled going back up for the two pointer. Briggs' precision on the free-throw line netted the Hawks another two, coming within five points again at 14:29.
• Following the excitement, Shawn Gashi came in off the bench to hit a calculated 3-pointer he received from Michael Pollard. As the Express advanced to their front court, freshman Edward Perez showed his athletic prowess by effectively blocking a fast break in the paint, and then putting up a layup eight-seconds later to bring the Hawks within one point of Wells. 
• With three minutes left, Quran Briggs hit his last three pointer with an assist from Shawn Gashi, grabbed a defensive rebound on the recovery and scored another two points with a fast break layup. 
• Unfortunately, the Hawks ran out of time after a good jumper in the paint by Jon Evans with 51 seconds left to close the three point gap.

• The Hawks demolished the Express off the bench with a 40 to 11 point difference. 
• Hilbert led in fast break points with eight and dominated with 42 points in the paint. Wells only had four fast break points and a meager 26 points in the paint. 
• By the final horn, Hilbert swiped 20 offensive and 31 defensive rebounds, building a 16 board advantage. 

UP NEXT

The Hawks take on AMCC foe La Roche University this Saturday, December 11th when they host the Redhawks at 4:00pm in the Hafner Recreation Center.