HAMBURG, N.Y. – The top-seeded Hilbert College women's basketball team captured a thrilling 56-47 victory over the No. 5 Lions from Penn State Behrend this afternoon in the opening semifinal game of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament.

Coach Amy Senefelder guided the Hawks to the program's first 20-win season after they knocked off Behrend for the second time this season.  Hilbert (20-6) will now play in the programs first AMCC Title Game on their home court and have a fighting chance of earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Senior Kelsi Ebert carried the Hawks with her leadership and composure.  She knocked down 11-of-13 free throws en route to game-high scoring honors of 21 points.  She added eight rebounds in her second-to-last career game in the Hafner Rec Center.

Junior Katelyn Proy posted her fifth double-double combining 10 points and 11 rebounds along with seven blocks today. 

Sophomore Taylor Corts led the floor with 12 rebounds (five offensive), scored six points and earned team-high three steals in the win. 

Sophomore Emily Gawlak knocked in a pair of shots from downtown in a big run for the Hawks and finished with 10 points while Ashley Repine was a competitor in the paint scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds.

"I thought our girls battled for 40 minutes tonight," said Amy Senefelder.  "I told them Behrend has been one of the toughest opponents thus far based on how their defense has been performing and how they played us so tough at their place two weeks ago."

Senefelder continued, "But I was really happy with how prepared we were and the adjustments we made against their defense.  Katie Proy stepped up big with seven blocks and her rebounding efforts were key.  Ebert and Gawlak {who played all forty-minutes today} played excellent defense again on their guards which really helped us.  I'm very happy with our efforts but we have one more shot tomorrow to keep our season going, and I'm looking forward to that challenge with this team."

Hilbert took a 17-13 lead to the second frame after building as much as a seven-point spread midway through the opening quarter.  Ebert dialed from long distance for the separation but the Lions sliced into the lead before the horn.

Behrend forced the first tie of the game at 17-17 before the Hawks scored eight unanswered points to build a 25-17 lead at 4:21.  Missed shots and turnovers by the hosts allowed the Lions to creep back into a two-point game by half time.

Behrend hit from beyond the arc and took their first lead 30-28 at 6:56 before Repine and Proy found room in the paint, leading into a pair of free throws by Ebert tilting the score back in Hilbert's favor. 

The final three buckets of the third quarter got the crowd on the feet.  Ebert drained from beyond the arc only to see the Lions mirror the results.  Gawlak didn't waste time after Behrend pulled within two points before she popped a shot from deep off an inside/out pass from Corts.

Hilbert used that momentum from the final minute in the third quarter and ran with it into the fourth.

Proy converted a high/low pass into two easy points and Gawlak scored a fast-break layup.  Repine's free throw gave the Hawks a 10-point cushion which they needed since Behrend picked up their pressure defense the final three minutes of the game.

Behrend  forced five Hilbert turnovers and rallied back to a 3-point game with 1:34 remaining.  Gawlak closed with a three-point score and Ebert went 3-for-4 from the line propelling Hilbert to the Championship game.

The Hawks will face Mt. Aloysius in the championship game Sunday, February 25 (1:00PM) after the second seeded Mounties out-lasted No. 3 Pitt-Bradford in double overtime.  Mt. Aloysius forced over time off a 3-point shot with 20-seconds left in regulation (78-78) and Bradford responded in the same fashion at the conclusion of first five-minute overtime (87-87).  But the Mounties exploded with 16 points in the final OT session and clipped the Panthers 103-93.

Hilbert swept Mt. Aloysius this season.  The Hawks earned a 75-68 victory in Hamburg January 13 and closed the regular season schedule with a one-point road win (64-63).

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.