ALFRED, N.Y. - The Hilbert College men's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack with five players finishing in double figures to improve to 5-1 in AMCC play after a 96-84 victory at Alfred State.

THE BASICS

⦁    Final Score: Hilbert 96 | Alfred State 84
⦁    Location: Orvis Activities Center, Alfred State College 4pm
⦁    Records: Hilbert College 9-2 (5-1 AMCC) Alfred State 3-6 (2-3 AMCC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hawks got off to a strong start, mixing a few defensive stops with a pair of layups by Alex Karamanos to build a 6-2 lead over the first three minutes of the game.
• The Pioneers answered with a pair of Ryan Gentile threes on back to back possessions to cut the lead to 9-8. 
• After trading a basket each, Hilbert went on an 8-2 run, sparked by a pair of threes courtesy of Ryan Hogan and Lazar Jovanovich to build a 19-12 lead through five and a half minutes of play.
• Alfred State began to chip away from there, outscoring the Hawks 12-4 over the next four minutes to take the lead to 24-23 with 11:21 remaining in the opening half.
• Hilbert's Ant Moynihan answered the Pioneers attack with a three point play after a nice drive to the basket, followed by a 3-pointer from long range soon after to swing the momentum, while sparking an 8-0 Hawks run.
• The resilient Pioneers continued to show fight, slowly crawling back before taking a 38-36 lead after a Gus O'Connell layup with 4:30 to go in the half.
• The Hawks were able to answer yet again as they dominated the final three minutes of the half, outscoring the hosts 9-2 over that span to take a 49-42 lead into the intermission.
• Both teams traded baskets early in the second half before Lazar Jovanovich hit a pair of threes to put Hilbert up 55-46 early in the second half.
• Hilbert continued to pressure the hosts over the remainder of the half, controlling the game flow the rest of the way, while holding a double digit lead down the stretch thanks to high percentage shots and made free throws to seal the victory.
• The Hawks swarmed on defense throughout, which led to nine steals and 14 Pioneer turnovers, but it was the Hilbert bench that was the big difference in the game, as they accounted for 40 points to outscore Alfred State's bench 40-23.

GAME NOTES

• Hilbert had five players reach double figures in scoring, led by Masia Phillips and Lazar Jovanovich who dropped 21 and 18 respectively. Hunter Martineau led the Hawks with a game-high 13 assists, while Phillips and Jovanovich each grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
• Alfred State was led by Ryan Gentile who scored a team-high 36 points and ripped down a team-high eight boards. Josh Reding led the Pioneers with a team-high 10 assists, while also adding 19 points to finish with a double double.
• The Hawks shot 34 of 67 (50.7%) from the floor, including 10 of 20 (50.0%) from 3-point range and 18 of 25 (72.0%) from the free throw line.
• The Pioneers finished 30 of 73 (41.1%) on field goals, while shooting 9 of 23 (39.1%) from the 3-point line and 15 of 19 (78.9%) from the charity stripe.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Hawks get some time off to spend time with their families for the holiday season before they return to action at home on Wednesday, January 8th when they host Penn State Altoona at 1pm in the Hafner Recreation Center.

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