HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona men's basketball team played its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference road game of the season on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions fell 101-96 to Hilbert College in the Hafner Recreation Center.

In a tightly-contested game that featured 11 lead changes, rebounds and free throws were difference-makers for Hilbert (5-7, 2-0 AMCC), which outrebounded Penn State Altoona (5-7, 1-1 AMCC) by a 46-27 margin while going to the line 44 times to the Lions' 14.

"Tough road loss in conference. We know we will always get everyone's 'A' game this year, especially when we are on the road, and we're OK with that," said Penn State Altoona head coach David McGreal. "We had plenty of chances to win, and we just did some boneheaded things which, at this point in time, shouldn't happen. I will add, though, that it's really hard to beat someone when they attempt 30 more free throws than you. But again, it's part of playing on the road."

Saivon Word (Upper Marlboro, MD/Frederick Douglass) scored a game-high 23 points and also led all players with six assists and five steals. PJ Charles (Altoona, PA/Altoona) recorded his third double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Robbie Hicks (Melbourne, FL/Rockledge) added 14 points and four assists, Justin Sheetz (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) had a career-best 12 points, and Andruw Harman (Chesapeake, VA/Great Bridge) finished with 10 points and four helpers.

Hilbert's Quran Briggs had team-highs with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Edward Perez added 21 points and six boards. Eric Jackson contributed 18 points for the Hawks, and Nevada Eldridge ended with 15 points.

The opening minutes of the game were back-and-forth, and Hilbert clung to a 13-12 lead just over five-and-a-half minutes into the first half. Two free throws by Perez helped the Hawks to a 20-14 advantage by the 13-minute mark, but baskets by Sheetz and Charles closed the gap to 20-18 by 11:22. Hilbert responded with two buckets from Jackson, before a pair of foul shots by Charles made it 24-20 at 9:42.

But the Hawks went on an 11-5 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes, expanding their lead to 10 points. Desmond Davis' three-pointer at 7:37 gave the home team a 10-point advantage, and Perez's jump shot 20 seconds later kept the difference at 10, 35-25.

Penn State Altoona responded with a run of its own, outscoring Hilbert 8-0 through the 5:26 mark to make it a two-point game. Layups by Alex McClellan (York, PA/West York) and Mason Bush (Pittsburgh, PA/Seneca Valley), along with a pair of Word free throws, closed the gap to 35-31 by 5:35, and Word's layup off of a steal cut the Lions' deficit to two just nine seconds later.

Hilbert was able to maintain its lead until a Dwayne Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Greater Johnstown) dunk at 1:22 put Penn State Altoona up 44-43, followed by Harman's slam 25 seconds later that put the Lions ahead by two, 46-44. That score held up through the intermission, and the teams went into halftime with the Lions holding a narrow advantage.

Penn State Altoona worked toward expanding its lead early in the second half. Word's layup at 16:26 and Hicks' three-pointer at 16:03 helped the Lions to a 58-52 lead, and Hicks' layup at 14:39 made it a seven-point game, 62-55.

However, Hilbert worked its way back and tied the game at 64 on an Eldridge jumper, then jumped ahead 66-64 on Jackson's layup with 12 minutes to play. Another Jackson layup at 7:43 gave the home team a 77-73 lead, and a Briggs jumper at 4:52 upped the Hawks' advantage to nine, 86-77.

Penn State Altoona chipped away at the Hilbert lead, getting back to within four following a McClellan trey and two Charles free throws. Word's layup and foul shot at 2:25 kept his team within five, 92-87, and Harman's dunk 26 seconds after that brought the Lions to within three. Another layup by Word at 1:07 made it a two-point difference, 94-92.

Later, with Hilbert leading 96-92, a scramble for a loose rebound resulted in multiple fouls and a lengthy delay, as officials sorted out the calls. Each team was ultimately awarded a pair of free throws, and the score stood at 97-93 following one make for each side. With seven seconds remaining, Bush connected on a long three-pointer to bring Penn State Altoona to within one 97-96. But Hilbert added four more points to its lead on free throws by Zach Miller and Perez, while the Lions were unable to score on their final possessions.

Penn State Altoona men's basketball's next game is next Wednesday, January 11, when the Lions will head to Westmoreland County to take on AMCC opponent Pitt-Greensburg at 7:00 p.m.