PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Hilbert Men's Basketball suffered the team's first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference setback of the season today, falling 79-72 to La Roche University inside the Kerr Fitness & Sports Center.

Hilbert trailed 41-31 at halftime but responded with a strong second-half effort, outscoring the Redhawks 41-38 after the break.

The Hawks went on a 19-7 run and took their first lead (52-50) off two makes by Ari Jones at 13:10.  But the Redhawks found their offensive pace and, after drilling a 3-pointer with just under four minutes remaining, held a 70-61 advantage.

Hilbert gave a valiant effort down the stretch.  Larry Morse recorded back-to-back buckets in the lane to pull within six points, and after Ari Jones scored in the lane off a Jaden Mitchell steal, the Hawks trailed by four points.  Morse found the bottom of the net on Hilbert's next possession (74-70), but La Roche went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe to secure the win.

Larry Morse led the way for Hilbert, posting his third 30-point performance of the season with a game-high 30 points on 14-of-23 shooting. Morse also pulled down 11 rebounds, recording his eighth double-double of the year while anchoring the Hawks in the paint.

Jaden Mitchell added 15 points and four rebounds, while Jayden Montgomery chipped in 10 points and five boards. Off the bench, Ari Jones provided a spark with 10 points in 26 minutes of action.

Hilbert dominated inside, scoring 58 points in the paint and holding a slight edge on the glass, but La Roche capitalized from beyond the arc, knocking down eight three-pointers, including five in the second half.

With the loss, Hilbert moves to 11–3 overall and 4–1 in AMCC play, while La Roche improves to 3–2 in conference action and 4-10 overall.

The Hawks will look to regroup ahead of their next contest, traveling to Erie, Pa. next week to face the unbeaten Penn State Behrend Lions (6–0) inside the Junker Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.