HAMBURG, NY – Hilbert Men's Basketball earned a much-needed Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory this evening over Pitt Bradford. After the teams began the second half knotted at 35, the Hawks used energy on the court and in the stands to come out with a decisive 70-56 win.
 

HIGHLIGHTS
 
Hilbert used a balanced scoring attack to outlast the Panthers, with five players scoring at least eight points.
 
Edward Perez led all scorers in the game with 18 points on an impressive 8-11 performance from the floor. Perez also added six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. With the pair of swats, he is now tied for fifth in a career in program history with 61.
 
Justin Poumpey scored in double figures for the second time this season with eleven points tonight. The junior guard also chipped in three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
 
Trevon Alexis crashed the offensive glass on his way to a career-best game for the Hawks. Alexis recorded his first career double-double, posting a career-high in both points and rebounds, with ten each. To go along with his game-high ten rebounds, Alexis also grabbed a game-high six offensive boards which led to nine second chance points for the freshman forward.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
 

• Neither team was able to find much separation in the first 20 minutes of the contest, with five points being the largest lead of the half (Bradford). Each time one of the sides looked to grab a significant lead, the other had an answer, leading to a 35-35 score heading into the break.
• Hilbert came out of the locker room executing on both ends of the floor to take control of the game with a 15-2 run. The Hawks used two Shaheem Ellis steals on the defensive end to propel them to hit six of their first eight shots in the half.
• After Bradford ended their drought with a layup, Alexis immediately responded with a three-point play on the offensive glass. Nathan Moore followed up with his first of two three pointers in the game to extend the lead to 17 points. Four more points from Alexis had the Hawks up 21 with 8:48 to go in the game.
• Hilbert was able to hold a comfortable lead the rest of the way to secure the 14-point AMCC victory. The Hawks sit just one game out of a playoff spot with five games remaining in the regular season.

 
 
 
 
GAME NOTES 
 
The hustle of the Hawks won them this game, as they held sizeable advantages in both second-chance points (29-6) and points off turnovers (21-12).

Perez wasn't the only Hawk to climb up the program record book in this one, as both Quran Briggs and Jahmel Demery each achieved statistical milestones. With eight points, Briggs now sits 14^th in program history with 1063 points in his career. Demery jumped two spots on the rebounding list with his seven boards in the game. The senior forward now ranks 12^th in program history with 420 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT

The team will stay at home in Hamburg for Camper Appreciation Day on Saturday, February 4^th, at 4 PM. Current number one seeded La Roche comes into town on a nine-game win streak. The Hawks suffered a tight 82-75 defeat at the hands of the Redhawks in their last meeting.