ALTOONA, PA – Hilbert Men's Basketball came out on top in this afternoon's AMCC game of the week against the hosting Lions from Penn State Altoona. 40 minutes were not enough in this early season thriller, as the Hawks used the overtime period to pull ahead for the 96-89 victory.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

The high-scoring affair saw four Hawks score in double digits.

Leading the way for Hilbert was Edward Perez. The senior forward did most of his damage late in the game, scoring 22 of his 26 points in the second half and overtime. Perez added ten rebounds in the contest for his second-straight double-double, and third on the season.
 
Eric Jackson and Jahmel Demery combined for 30 points off the bench for Hilbert, playing a key role in the Hawks' 48-14 advantage in bench points.

Preseason AMCC Player of the Year, Quran Briggs came up huge for Hilbert when it mattered most. The junior guard sunk a pair of threes in the last seven seconds of the contest to erase the lead of the Lions. Briggs' deep three banked in as time expired to knot the game up at 79 and send it to overtime.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Altoona grabbed the lead nine seconds into the contest and held on until the halfway point of the half.
• The tie-game was short lived, as the Lions quickly regained their advantage, taking a 41-31 lead into the halftime break.
• The beginning of the second half saw the Altoona lead grow to as many as 16-points.
• However, a new defensive look for the Hawks, as well as solid team rebounding, helped Hilbert chip away at the lead.
• A pair of Perez layups cut the lead to just two with under three minutes to go.
• Two free throws, a layup, and a three-pointer grew the Lions' lead to nine points with a minute remaining in the game.
• A pair of hiccups at the free throw line by the hosts opened the door for the Hawks, as three pointers by Nathan Moore and Quran Briggs (2) in the last 30 seconds ultimately sent this one into overtime.
• The teams traded buckets to begin the extra period, until a three-pointer by Altoona gave them the lead with 2:48 remaining.
• Back-to-back threes by Jackson and Perez ignited a 12-2 Hilbert run to end the game, earning them the 96-89 conference win. 

GAME NOTES 
 
The Lions held the lead for 38:18 of the 40 minutes played in regulation in this contest. The only times the score was even in regulation were the opening nine seconds,1:33 in the middle of the first half, and as the buzzer sounded.
 
Despite a small rebounding margin, the Hawks saw much more success in second-chance points, holding a 21-6 advantage.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Hawks will look to make it three in a row in the conference, and six in a row overall on Wednesday. The team heads to Bradford, PA for a midweek matchup with the Panthers from Pitt Bradford.