HAMBURG, N.Y. –    Five Hilbert seniors celebrated Senior Day with a bang as they knocked-off the La Roche University women's basketball team in a tightly played game in front of a large and proud crowd in the Hafner Recreation Center.

Emily Gawlak led all scorers with 20 points but it was Macy Kisner who loaded the stat sheet with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in Hilbert's 70-63 series split against the AMCC league-leaders.

THE BASICS              

• Final Score:  Hilbert 70 | La Roche 63
• Location:   Hafner Recreation Center, Hamburg, NY
• Records: Hilbert 18-5 (15-3 AMCC) | La Roche 16-6 (16-2)

HIGHLIGHTS

Gawlak and freshman Ashley Schroeder each drilled a pair of shots beyond the arc as the Hawks went 6-for-21 from deep for the game.  Senior Demi Battin sank her one field goal attempt and it counted as three points.  Senior Taylor Corts finished with 11 points and saved the game with a huge defensive blocked shot in the final minutes. Senior  Ashley Repine cleared the glass for 11 boards and added seven points while battling foul trouble. Senior Alayna DeFazio made her final start of the regular season and collected one steal in the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hilbert built their largest lead in the opening quarter thanks to Ashley Schroeder's consistency at the foul line.  The Hawks' 9-6 lead at 5:03 disappeared by the start of the second quarter but because of Demi Battin's performance, also at the foul line, the score was knotted at 13-each.
• Both team's played through five lead changes in the second quarter until the Redhawks went on an 8-0 run.  They fueled their offense behind the 3-point line and constructed their largest lead of eight points, three different times.
• Kisner started a Hilbert run, scoring a pair at the foul line, before Battin tickled the twine with 35-seconds left.  Kisner closed the Hawks scoring with an old-fashioned 3-point play pulling Hilbert within two (33-35), but La Roche scored a layup in transition before the horn leading to intermission.
• Taylor Corts produced five points in Hilbert 7-point run which forced another even score (40-40) at 6:13 in the third quarter.
• Emily Gawlak's hit from downtown lifted Hilbert on top (47-44) for the first time in the second half and they never looked back from there.
• Gawlak drilled a second 3-pointer, Schroeder and Kisner combined for a 4-for-4 tally from the foul line as the hosts hit the start of the final session on top, 54-53.
• La Roche regained the lead twice in the fourth, both times sinking freebies without the clock running.
• Taylor Corts' 3-pointer at 3:59 turned out to be Hilbert's final bucket from the floor but it also gave the Hawks a 62-61 advantage once more. 
• Hilbert closed the game hitting 8-of-10 from the foul line.

GAME NOTES

• Hilbert controlled the boards, building a 20-15 margin by the intermission and held that separation by the final horn (41-35). 
• Hilbert pulled out the victory thanks to their defensive effort after intermission. 
• La Roche committed only three turnovers in the first 20-minutes, but the Hawks forced 10 additional turnovers in the second half which mirrored their effort on the offensive glass.
• The hosts held a 7-2 advantage in second-chance points in the final quarter when they outscored the Redhawks 16-10 for the win.
• Hilbert finished the game with a 40.4-percent performance from the floor, hitting 21-of-52 field goal attempts and made only 22-of-28 freebies. 
• La Roche hit only 35.5-percent of their attempts from the field (22-of-62) and made only 15 foul shots.
• Dasja Anderson led La Roche with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT

Hilbert has two games remaining to their 2019-20 regular season schedule.  The Hawks are at both Penn State campuses next week.  The travel to Erie February 19 for the 8pm game against Behrend and bus to Altoona for the 3pm game February 22.
Stay connected to the AMCCsports.org website for play-off updates. 

Be sure to stay up-to-date on all your Hilbert Hawk 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 Hilbert College Hawks iOS SIDEARM mobile App which can be found in the Apple Store and ITunes.