PITTSBURGH, Pa. – After trailing by four points at the break, Hilbert College Men's Basketball matched the Redhawks' offensive production in the second half but suffered a 91-87 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference loss inside the Kerr Athletic Center.

Hilbert (6-7) dropped one game behind La Roche (7-6) as the Hawks committed as many turnovers as they did assists today.  

Both programs are in a battle with Penn State Behrend (6-7) for the fourth seed and they fight for the right to host a post-season playoff game in three weeks.

HIGHLIGHTS
 
Five Hawks reached double digit scoring with Shaheem Ellis the only player to score over 20 points.  Ellis tossed-in 23 points, hitting 9-of-19 from the field, and earned game-high honors with seven assists.

Larry Morse added 14 points, hitting 50 percent of his shots from the floor, and matched Ellis and Austin Boies on the glass with six rebounds.

Austin Boies connected on 5-of-8 shots including two 3-pointers and led the Hawks with two offensive rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

Quran Briggs added 12 points and four rebounds while Nathan Moore went 3-of-7 beyond the 3-point line to record 10 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Nathan Moore hit back-to-back 3 pointers in the opening four minutes of the game which lifted Hilbert 13-8.  The Redhawks rallied back and forced a 17-all score, but Justin Poumpey's jumper kept the Hawks in the lead for 20-more seconds.
• La Roche strung together a 4-point run off two Hilbert turnovers and a missed jumper and set the 23-19 score.  Briggs' fastbreak layup forced the 23-23 score but La Roche began to get comfortable beyond the arc as they closed the period with four more made shots from downtown.
• Three different Hawks combined for a 8-4 run at the start of the second half, and a Briggs 3-point play at 15:35 gave Hilbert a 54-53 lead.  Ellis' triple stretched the score to 57-55 in Hilbert' favor but turnovers and missed shots flipped the momentum back to the hosts.
• Boies and Ellis' buckets trimmed the difference to three points but La Roche hit their free throws and held on down the stretch for the win.

GAME NOTES 

• Each team was credited with 17 second-chance points, 11 lead changes and forced a tied-score seven times over the course of the 40-minute game. 
• La Roche held a 2-point advantage in points in the paint over Hilbert, though the Hawks bench outscored the Redhawks by one point.
• Hilbert's 12 turnovers contributed to La Roche's 13-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Hilbert finished the game hitting 52.4% from the field, made 10-of-27 3-point attempts and went 11-for-14 at the charity stripe.
• The Redhawks didn't shoot as well from the floor (47.2%) but they were able to attempt 10 more shots due to the Hilbert turnovers.

UP NEXT
 
Hilbert 13-7 returns to the Hafner Recreation Center for a solo AMCC game.  The Hawks will host Penn State Behrend in a 7:00 pm tip.