by Oliver Dailey

ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona men's basketball pulled away early for an overwhelming victory over Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Hilbert College on Saturday, winning 97-74 in the teams' final regular season game.

Penn State Altoona (15-10, 11-9 AMCC) led the entire game with the help of a 12-point scoring run coming in the first half. Hilbert (15-10, 11-9 AMCC) struggled early, and the Hawks committed 21 total turnovers and shot just 37.1 percent from the field for the game.

With the win, the Lions finish fourth in the AMCC men's basketball standings and clinched home-court advantage for the first round of the AMCC Tournament. The Lions jumped Hilbert in the standings with the win, and Penn State Altoona will see them again in the first round of the AMCC Tournament this Tuesday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the Adler Arena.

The day was also special for the Penn State Altoona men's basketball program in that it was Senior Day. Before the game, the Lions honored senior players Trey Butterworth (Clarence, PA/Bald Eagle), Cameron Gardner-Nicholson (Philadelphia, PA/Boys' Latin Charter), Austin Krise (Allport, PA/West Branch), and Clevon Scott (Raeford, NC/Hoke County).

"Today couldn't have gone any better. A great Senior Day ceremony for four great young men, and then finishing it off with a very important win against a very good Hilbert team, giving us 15 wins on the year and giving us a home playoff game this Tuesday," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal.

Gardner-Nicholson led all scorers with a season-high 26 points and also tied his season-high by pulling down 19 rebounds, a total that tied for the third-most rebounds in a game in program history. Gardner-Nicholson went 12-for-16 from the field, and he also contributed six blocks in the win to tie for the fourth-most blocks in a single game in Lions history.

Jack Kusters (Quakertown, PA/Lansdale Catholic) added 25 points and four assists while shooting 10-for-16 from the field. Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) scored 12 for the Lions while picking up 10 rebounds, Krise contributed 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists, and Robbie Hicks (Rockledge, FL/Rockledge) had 11 points and four assists.

"What a way for one of the all-time great players in our history to go out on Senior Day, with big Cam dominating the game on both ends. Austin had a huge game, as well, and hit some big shots. Trey played a solid game all-around, including playing some great defense on [Hunter] Martineau, and Clevon doing his usual thing by blocking a couple shots and setting up his teammates," McGreal stated. "We shared the ball as a team so well today. Jack was a monster, which was so refreshing to see, and Robbie got huge shots all game long."

As a team, Penn State Altoona etched its name into three different single game program records. The Lions' total of 11 blocks is tied for the fifth-most in a game in team history, and the team's 26 assists is also tied for the fifth-most. Additionally, Penn State Altoona's 40 made field goals ties for the eighth-most in a single game in Lions history.

Jon Evans and Hunter Martineau each scored 13 points to lead Hilbert in scoring.

Penn State Altoona started off hot and put Hilbert on the ropes early. Gardner-Nicholson got his second bucket of the game to make it 11-7 in favor of the Lions, which started an impressive defensive stand for Penn State Altoona. After a Kusters layup, the Lions led 21-7 with 13:35 remaining in the first half. With a Gardner-Nicholson layup and a Kusters three-pointer to end the half, Penn State Altoona headed to the locker room leading 49-36.

Krise opened the second half with a layup of his own, and Evans responded quickly for Hilbert. Another Kusters layup, followed by a break-away slam by Harman, put the Lions ahead 71-55 with 9:15 remaining in the game. Hicks added back-to-back three-pointers for Penn State Altoona to make it 80-59 with 6:59 to go. A steal and a pair of layups by Mason Marks (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) brought the game to a close, with the Lions sealing it 97-74.

Penn State Altoona led with a 32-19 advantage in fastbreak points, largely due to the defense generating 21 turnovers, with 25 points coming off of turnovers. The Lions also led in rebounds (49-39), assists (26-13), and points in the paint (58-40).

"Now, we have to regroup, study today's film, and see what worked and what didn't and get ready to play these guys again here in the first round of the playoffs," said McGreal. "We hope everyone comes out to the game!"