HAMBURG, N.Y. - Hilbert battled through a challenging opening half before falling to Penn State Behrend, 81-49, in AMCC men's basketball action Tuesday night at the Brad Hafner Recreation Center.

Penn State Behrend used a strong first half to pull away from Hilbert, fueled by an impressive 58.1 field goal percentage along with 10 three-pointers en route to a 50-17 lead at the break.

The Hawks found their energy after the break, outscoring the Lions 32–31 in the second half while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes. Hilbert held Penn State Behrend to 32.3 percent shooting in the second period and matched the Lions in points in the paint (28).

Ari Jones provided a spark off the bench, leading Hilbert with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. Iyan Bremer added nine points and a team-best five rebounds, while Kevin Alvarado and Joshua Polk each contributed key minutes off the bench as the Hawks continued to battle defensively. 

Jayden Montgomery dished for six assists and Rudolph Hyppolite filled the stat sheet going 2-for-2 with a 3-point play, and grabbed two offensive rebounds (3 total) in just two minutes of action.

Hilbert (12-8, 5-6 AMCC) returns to action this weekend when they host Pitt-Greensburg (17-3, 9-2 AMCC) February 7th with a 3 pm tip.