HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert College used a big third quarter push to slide past Penn State Altoona this afternoon in women's basketball, claiming a 59-50 victory and their fourth win in a row. 

The Hawks take sole possession of first place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference at 2-0 after they improved to 4-3 overall.

"Another tough win for us today.  We had to grind as a team for 40 minutes and I thought we did well keeping our composure in the last few minutes of the game," said coach Amy Senefelder.  "Altoona is a very scrappy team, and although it took us the entire first half, we ended up gaining the lead and not looking back.  Kelsi stepped up for us tonight with her ability to score and make plays, and our post players stayed strong for us on the glass." 

Senior captain Kelsi Ebert lead all scorers with 23 points and four steals going 4-of-6 behind the arc in another 40-minute game.

Katelyn Proy posted 14 points and 14 rebounds tacking onto her double-double string, which now stands at three in a row, but fourth of the season after only seven games. 

Emily Gawlak (11 points) was a steady force at the foul line going 5-for-6 to lead the Hawks who finished the game hitting only 44.8% (13-29) from the charity stripe.

Ashley Repine came-up with six offensive rebounds helping Hilbert to 17 second-chance points behind 20 offensive boards.

Altoona took the early lead in the first quarter and remained on top through to intermission.  The Lions jumped out with an 18-13 1^st quarter lead but Hilbert rallied in the second, out-scoring Altoona, 15-12.  Proy produced 50% of Hilbert second quarter scoring and helped set the half time score, 30-28.

Gawlak knocked down both free throws to even the game just 83-seconds into the second half before Alayna DeFazio launched the Hawks on top (33-30).  From that point forward, Hilbert stretched their lead to eight (47-39) by the start of the final quarter.

Hilbert took their largest lead (52-41) off another Proy lay-up in the final session but struggled from the line down the stretch.  The Hawks converted only six of 12 free throws yet earned their second consecutive AMCC contest.

"We are looking forward to Medaille coming in on Wednesday, but know we need to make adjustments in order to compete," noted coach Senefelder.

The Hawks are excited for their first Buffalo Cup game of the season when they welcome Medaille December 6 in an 8pm AMCC game.

 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.