HAMBURG, N.Y. - As expected, today's rematch men's basketball game against Penn State Altoona was going to be exciting.  

The Hilbert Hawks outlasted the Lions and earned an 84-82 victory in the Hafner Recreation Center after they suffered a last-second one-point loss in central Pa a few weeks ago.

Four Hawks reached double figure scoring, led by Masia Phillips's 19 points.  It was Hilbert's effort on the offensive glass, a statistic they easily won (21-14) and consistant shooting at the foul line which helped them secure the victory. 

Hilbert scored 27 points off second-chance  attempts and 28 points off Altoona's 19 turnovers.   The White and Royal also converted 20-of 26 from the foul line, as they continue to lead the AMCC with total attempts in league play.

Altoona drained 11 (of 24) 3-point shots but only made seven of nine attempts at the charity stripe.

"I I liked how aggressive we played today," said coach Rob deGrandpre.  "Altoona was well prepared, but I thought our guys showed a lot of composure and whethered several very tough stretches."

Besides his 19 points, Phillips added three assists and five rebounds.  Nicholas Parucki came through again for his teammates.  The senior forward tossed in 7-of-12 from the floor, hit all four free throw attempts (18 points) and crashed the glass for three offensive rebounds (6 total).  

Ryan Hogan was steady from start to finish chipping in 14 points, hitting a pair from beyond the arc, and was credited with three steals and two assists.

Dre' Turnipseed, an offensive-defensive rotational player with Parucki, tossed in 10 points, finished with four rebounds and two assists.

Hunter Martineau was a triple-8 player today.  He scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds (4 on the offensive end) and dished for his normal eight assists in 39 minutes.

Freshman Jacob Braniecki gave the Hawks a big lift off the bench, grabbing two offensive board (5 total) and added five points in 12 minutes.

Altoona took an early lead but Parucki's quick 4-point run lifted Hilbert 8-7 at 16:20.

The hosts lived through two lead changes and recovered from two Altoona-forced tie scores.  The Hawks stretched their hold to seven points twice with more than ten minutes left in the opening half.

Altoona, fueled by back-to-back 3-point makes knotted the score at 33-33 with just under four to go.  
Both teams battled through seven lead changes before intermission which found the Lions holding a 44-42 lead.

Altoona controlled the pace and scoring during the first eight  minutes in the second half;  they stretched their advantage to double digit points on four different occasions.

Hilbert kept knocking at the door slicing the difference to six points on multiple trips, but it got serious when Martineau and Hogan combined with Joseph Braniecki's jumper to knot the game 73-73 at 6:48.

Hilbert forced three tie scores and Joseph Braniecki's free throw lifted Hilbert for the first time (78-77) in the second half at 3:30.

The Hawks closed the game going 6-for-6 from the foul line and built a 84-79 lead with 17 seconds remaining.  Altoona's uncontested 3-point make at the buzzer was inconsequential to the final outcome.

deGrandpre continued, "I think we are a much better team than our record indicates when we come to play for 40-minutes."

Things heat up next week as the Hawks prepare for three games in four days.  Medaille makes an appearance in the Hafner Recreation Center February 6, and thanks to Winter Storm Jayden, Hilbert will travel for their make-up game against Pitt-Bradford then next night, February 7.  The Hawks close the week with another road game in Steubenville, OH when they battle Franciscan February 9.

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