HAMBURG, N.Y. – Masia Phillips stepped up big at the foul line down the stretch and carried the Hawks to a 74-71 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory in men's basketball this afternoon.
Hilbert improved to 4-2 overall and stay undefeated in league action (2-0) after their third consecutive win the last eight days.
"I am Very Proud of how we battled and stuck together this afternoon because Altoona is a very good team," said coach
Rob deGrandpre. "We certainly have some things to work on if we are going to continue to improve, but today it was all about our players. They are learning that when we play hard, and come together, we can be a tough opponent on any given night."
Hilbert built a 34-27 half time lead and that seven-point cushion turned out to be just enough to claim a home-court win.
Masia Phillips led with 15 points featuring a 7-for-10 effort at the foul line, while he added seven rebound and two steals.
Hunter Martineau chipped in 15 points, three offensive rebounds and five assists.
Senior
David Arlaud posted his first career double-double combining 14 points (6-of-9) and 11 rebounds along with a pair of blocks in the win.
The Hawks twin-towers,
Joseph Braniecki and
Nicholas Parucki collected 10 points and seven rebounds apiece alternating their time in the paint.
Rookie
Antonio Alvarez cleared the glass with his first double-digit rebounding effort posting 10 boards in 32 minutes.
The opening stanza was exactly what a fan expected. Several lead changes and momentum swings which always kept the game close on the score board.
Hilbert struck first but their 5-0 lead disappeared over a minute and a half, and they fell behind by two after the Lions went on a seven point run. The Hawks reshuffled and score seven of their own after a 30-second timeout.
Both teams played through four lead changed before half time with Hilbert holding the upper edge, 34-27.
Martineau and Parucki's back-to-back buckets lifted Hilbert up by 10 (42-32) at 16:07 yet less than three minutes later, the Lions took a 45-44 lead. From that point on, each team played through five more lead changes and six tied scores with the hot team winning in the end.
At 2:36, with the scored knotted for the last time at 68-68, Phillips drove the lane and scored an old-fashioned 3-point play. Altoona connected twice at the charity stripe, but Phillips hit a pair from 15 feet out to stretch the lead back to 3-points. Each team went 1-for-2 at the foul line to close the scoring for the afternoon.
Hilbert shot 40.9 percent from the floor, hitting only one three-pointer, but did sink 19-of-25 free throws. Altoona finished with a 38.7% shooting day and converted 9-of-15 from the foul line. The Hawks dominated the glass, posting 20 offensive rebounds.
Hilbert returns to the Hafner this week for another AMCC match-up against Medaille College December 6 at 6pm. The Hawks and the Mavericks will be playing their first Buffalo Cup contest of the season and encourage fans to crowd the stands in support.
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.
