BUFFALO, N.Y. – After recording a 71-62 victory over Buffalo State University tonight, the 2025-26 Hilbert men's basketball team improved to 9-1 overall and tied the program's longest win streak which was set by the 2015-16 Hawks.  (That team captured the AMCC regular season title and hosted the program's first and only AMCC Final Four Weekend as the #1 seed with a 22-5 record.)

The Hawks led on the score board the first ten minutes until the Bengals scored a driving layup at 10:43 for their first lead.  Hilbert played catch-up the rest of the opening period, though they knotted the game off a Ari Jones deep hit (20-all) and again off a Larry Morse make in the paint (22-all) and Jone's score in the lane which sent the teams to the locker room tied at 24-24.

But Hilbert broke the game open with an explosive 47-point second half, keyed by efficient scoring, interior dominance, and timely stops. After Buffalo State drilled a deep shot on their first possession of the second period, Hilbert rallied with a 4-point run to retake the lead 28-27.  Then, after falling behind by five points 90-seconds later, Ne'Sean Fowlkes' 3-point make fueled an 11-point swing, giving the Hawks a six-point margin which held up to the final horn.

Larry Morse led the Hawks with 20 points and five rebounds, attacking the lane and providing consistent production the final 30 minutes of the game. Kevin Alvarado gave the Hawks a big lift off the bench, hitting 3-of-5 in the lane, along with five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Jayden Montgomery delivered another impressive all-around performance finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists, including an 8-for-8 effort at the free throw line.

Ari Jones added 17 points and seven assists, orchestrating the offense and knocking down two key second-half threes that helped swing momentum in Hilbert's favor.

Hilbert shot 50% from the field and owned the paint with a 48–30 scoring advantage inside, using strong ball movement (22 assists) and balanced guard play to keep the Bengals off balance.

Defensively, Hilbert tightened in the second half, holding Buffalo State to 30.3% shooting for the game and limiting the Bengals to 5-of-27 from beyond the arc.

With the victory, Hilbert remains undefeated on the road and continues building one of the top early-season records in the region.

The Hawks return to action this weekend as they resume AMCC conference play with a 4 pm tip against the Celtics from Carlow University December 13.