HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert Men's Basketball was energized at the start of the second half and rolled to an 87-69 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Game of the Week victory over Mount Aloysius College this afternoon.
The 11-6 Hawks stormed to a 10-point lead five minutes into the second after hitting 5-for-6 from the 3-point line and evened their conference record to .500 after facing all AMCC opponents through the first half of the league schedule.
HIGHLIGHTS
Nathan Moore was on fire from downtown today. He led the Hawks with 20 points, hitting 6-of-8 from deep.
Larry Morse played with passion battling to his ninth double-double of the season with 20 points (9-of-14) and 15 rebounds (6 offensive) while dumping off three assists when the defense collapsed on him in the paint.
Quran Briggs got everyone involved as he dished a team-best six assists and scored 15 points while pulling down six, the second-most boards on the team, and
Shaheem Ellis added four assists, earned game-high honors with five steals and chipped in nine points, trimming the number he needs to hit 1K in his career.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hilbert jumped out to a nine-point lead less than five minutes into the game.
- Ronnie Lewis' effort lifted the Hawks with a tip-in, and a pair of scores inside the lane while Moore struck from downtown.
- Mount Aloysius inched back and forced a 15-all score off a three-point play at 9:12 before taking their first lead off a tip-in 50-seconds later.
- Both teams took turns trading the lead, and they both scored most of their points inside the lane.
- Hilbert added a pair of 3-pointers and free throw makes while the Mounties found all their success inside the paint as they headed to the locker room knotted at 33-all.
- Hilbert sprinted to a 10-point lead by 13:27 in the second half and never looked back.
- Moore, Ellis and Briggs combined for a 5-of-8 shooting outside the line in that stretch and shifted the momentum in the Hawks favor.
- After the Mounties sliced the margin to six points (52-46), Hilbert extended their defensive pressure and finished 16 of their next 18 offensive possessions into a 20-point lead at 3:19 remaining.
GAME NOTES
- After hitting just 39% from the floor in the opening half, the Hawks went 23-of-36 from the floor (63.89%) as they ran away with the league win.
- Mount Aloysius finished the team hitting 48.4% from the field but sank only 3-of-17 beyond the arc.
- The Hawks built a 44-31 advantage on the glass and outscored the Mounties 20-10 in second change points.
- Hilbert was credited with 15 points off turnovers in the second half as their energy in the final 20-minutes was at a higher level than the first half.
UP NEXT
Hilbert has a week off from competition as their next game isn't until next Saturday, January 25th when they travel to central PA for round two against Penn State Altoona. The Hawks are riding a 3-game win streak and hold an 18-10 win-loss record over the Lions since the 2011-12 season.
