GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Hilbert College men's basketball team kicked of their 2018 with a 79-65 road win over Pitt.-Greensburg this afternoon.

The Hawks remain at the top of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference with a 5-1 league record and improved to 7-4 overall.  The Bobcats dropped to 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the AMCC.

Hilbert dominated the glass, out-rebounding the hosts, 47-27, posting 44 points in the paint.

Antonio Alvarez led Hilbert with 23 points and nine rebounds as well as picking up two blocked shots.  Masia Phillips also notched 20 points going  8-for-16 from the field and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe.

Hunter Martineau picked his poison knocking down 14 points (4-for-5 from floor/6-for-8 at foul line) while adding seven rebounds and eight assists.

Joseph Braniecki (3 steals) and Nicholas Parucki (10 points) each pulled down six rebounds.  The Hawks earned 13 offensive rebounds which they converted into 16 second chance points.  David Arlaud shared game-high honors with two blocks and earned two steals along with five points.

The Hawks finished the game knocking down 18 of 22 free throws and established a season-best .818 percent at the line.

Greensburg opened the game with an early six-point lead five minutes in.  Alvarez' 3-point bucket completed a 9-0 Hilbert run lifting the Royal and White to a 15-12 advantage just two and half minutes later.

Braniecki collected an old fashioned three-point play which gave Hilbert their largest lead in first half, 39-28.

Alvarez' freebie at 13:27 in the second half gave Hilbert a 58-42 lead and the Hawks maintained their double-digit margin for the win.

Hilbert fans should be excited to see their Hawks compete in the Hafner Rec Center three times next week.  The men's team will welcome Empire 8 Nazareth in a non-conference game January 8 before they host a pair of AMCC games later in the week.  Penn State Behrend hits Hamburg January 10 before Mt. Aloysius invades Western New York January 13.

Be sure to stay up-to-date on all your Hilbert Hawks scores and awards by following @HilbertAthletic on Twitter and by liking the "Hilbert College Athletics" Facebook page.  Additionally fans of the Hawks who have an Apple device can receive push notification from the newly created Hilbert College Hawks iOS SIDEARM mobile App which can be found in the Apple Store and ITunes.