ALTOONA, PA - A low scoring third quarter was too much for the Hawks to overcome as the Hilbert women's basketball team fell to Penn State Altoona (88-75) on the road in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action this afternoon.

Ashley Repine posted her fourth double-double of the season, and second in row, after she led the Royal and White with 22 points and 14 rebounds.  Repine, who hit 11-of-15 from the floor matched her season high scoring effort and earned a season-high number on the boards.

Hilbert (11-4), who maintains 2nd place in AMCC rankings, slipped to 6-2 while Altoona improved to 6-3 and sits one game behind the Hawks.

Both teams came out on fire, sprinting to a 29-25 opening quarter score.   Hilbert battled back in the second session, outscoring Altoona 16-12, which gave the Hawks a 41-39 half time lead. 

But, while Altoona reached for 20 points in the third, Hilbert mustered together only nine points and found themselves in a hole heading into the final ten minutes.

The Hawks won the battle of the boards, but made only 5-of-12 free throws and committed 20 turnovers.

Emily Gawlak (five assists) tossed in 23 points, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.  Demi Battin reached double digits with 10 points and pulled down six rebounds along with four assists. 

Taylor Corts, who led the Hawks with six assists, scored eight points as did Katelyn Proy.

After trading basket for basket in the first few minutes of the game, the Lions jumped out to a big 10-point lead 24-14 at 3:12.  Gawlak, Repine and Battin helped slice the difference to four (29-24) by the end of ten minutes of action.

The Hawks turned up the heat and went on an 8-0 run taking over control when Gawlak drained a 3-pointer (32-29).  Hilbert built their largest lead in the first half (38-31) at 4:50 before the Lions crept back and made it a 2-point game (41-39) by intermission.

At one point through the second quarter, Repine and Gawlak were perfect from the floor as they settled into a combined 12 of 15 first half shooting performance.  Galwak posted 15 points (3-of-4 from downtown) and Repine added 12 points, all in the paint.

Twice Altoona knotted the game at the start of the third quarter before they flipped the score in their favor after multiple Hilbert turnovers or miscues from the field.

The Hawks found themselves down by 10 points for the second time in the game after committing their 15th turnover at 2:51.  Altoona hit the final shot in the 3rd quarter maintaining a 59-50 advantage heading into the final period.

After going scoreless in the third session, Gawlak drained a step-back three as part of Hilbert's 5-0 run in the first sixty seconds of the fourth.The Lions responded with a deep three of their own and made both free throws extending their lead (64-55).

Things went Altoona's way as the game progressed.  For every missed Hilbert And1 finish, the Lions were solid at their offensive end of the floor.  They even pulled it together for a made 3-pointer off a ball that bounced off a teammate's toe directed to the shooter beyond the arc.

Hilbert finished the game shooting 47.8% from the field and 41.7% from the charity stripe while the Lions connected at a 48.4% from the floor and 69.7% from 15 feet out.

The women's basketball team returns to action mid-week when they travel to North Buffalo for their Buffalo Cup contest against Medaille College January 16.  Fans can follow free live stats or purchase a $4 ticket to view the game online.

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 in ITunes.