ERIE, PA – After falling behind by double digits mid-way through the second half, the Hilbert College late-game rally fell short as Penn State Behrend held on for the 74-68 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory in men's basketball tonight in the Junker Center.
 
The Hawks, fueled by a 13-0 run, cut the deficit to three points twice late the game only to drop their third consecutive AMCC contest in a week.  As the only team to have played seven league contests to date, the 10-6 Hawks slipped to 3-4 while Penn State Behrend (8-7) jumped ahead of the Hawks with a 3-3 league record.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
 
Shaheem Ellis finished the game with 20 points, after leading the Hawks at half time with eight points.
 
Larry Morse reached for 12 points and five rebounds and Nathan Moore chipped in 10 from the field.
 
Ronnie Lewis was a monster on the glass, leading the Hawks with 11 rebounds (four offensive) while Trevon Alexis (6 points) worked for five offensive rebounds which he converted into three buckets in the first half.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Hilbert opened the game fast, building a 19-10 lead seven minutes in.  Six different Hawks were involved in that run as Ellis recorded six of his eight first-half points. Trevon Alexis added a pair of offensive rebound put-back scores to help build the lead.
• Malachi Hartley connected from downtown to maintain the nine-point margin (22-13) but the Hawks offense stalled.
• The Lions inched their way back into the game and knotted the score at 26-all and forced a Hilbert timeout five minutes later.
• Behrend's run continued as they stretched their advantage to as many as 13 points before both teams headed to the locker room with a 45-34 score, thanks to a Sonny Williams layup with one second on the clock.
• The Hawks found themselves down 55-39 at 16:28 after the Lions scored on five of their first seven possessions as Hilbert only found points on two of their first five trips.
• Moore struck from beyond the arc, Ellis scored back-to-back layups, then Quran Briggs, Lewis and Morse hit jumpers in the paint which set the 57-60 score at 7:02.
• The Lions went back up by eight points at 5:42 yet the Hawks continued to claw. 
• Morse turned another OR into points in the paint, Moore finished a steal with a score in the paint before he took a Briggs pass for another two.  Brigg's layup with 0:55 on the clock made it a one-possession game (65-68). 
• Behrend closed the game going 6-for-6 at the stripe while Ellis' deep hit with 0:15 seconds wasn't enough to win the league game. 

GAME NOTES 

•  After hitting 56.6% of their first half field goal attempts (17-30), Penn State cooled in the second half (9-24 | 37.5%).
•  Hilbert made fifteen buckets each half while attempting 37 in the first half and 34 in the final period to finish hitting 42.3% from the floor.
• Behrend, known for their 3-point shooting efficiency, made seven three's while the Hawks connected on five attempts.
• The Hawks shifted their 19 offensive rebounds into 21 2nd-chance points which reflected in the low number of assists credited to Hilbert (7).
• Hilbert's bench outscored the Lions (17-7) and as a team worked for a 46-36 advantage in points in the paint but were outscored 15-3 at the foul line. 

UP NEXT
 
Hilbert stays home this weekend when they host Mount Aloysius College January 18th with a 1pm tip inside the Hafner Recreation Center.