Box Score
ALFRED, NY – After falling behind by five points by intermission, the Hilbert College men’s basketball team battled to a 77-67 non-conference road win over Alfred University November 24. Senior Anthony Hodge’s 15 points led five Hawk double-figure scorers who pushed Hilbert to a fast 3-1 start to the 2012-13 season. Alfred’s Terrell Rankin posted 13 points as the Saxons fell to 1-3.
Alfred scored the first bucket, never trailed by more than 1-point during the game’s first fifteen minutes and took a 32-27 lead as the half time buzzer sounded. On three different occasions the Hawks jumped ahead of the Saxons but weren’t able to maintain control of the contest at that point.
After the break, Hodge hit the second of his two 3-pointers at 11:56 which gave Hilbert their first lead in the second half. Two possessions later, Rankin’s lay-up created the game’s seventh tie, but the Hawks went on a 10-2 run started and finished by Trevor Stark with freshman Nick Nadeau’s six points sandwiched in-between. Alfred’s Tim Pacheco earned a traditional three-point play with 5:24 left, cutting the lead back to three points. Yet Stark’s long distance hit, Dan McFarland’s short jumper and two steals converted into two lay-ups by Jerame Owens set the 10-point lead again for the Hawks.
Hilbert finished the game shooting 50% from the floor (hitting seven 3-pointers) and went 14 for 17 from the charity stripe. The Hawks swiped 11 steals but were called for five more fouls than the host team. Alfred outrebound Hilbert by one and were credited for sixteen offensive boards.
Stark produced 13 points with five assists and was a perfect 6-6 at the foul line going 4-4 during the last 0:22 of the game. McFarland chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Mike Jones earned his first two-digit scoring of the season knocking down all four of his shots and going 2-4 at the stripe. Owens shot five for six from the floor and earned two steals hitting for his season high 10 points also. CJ Hodge was two of three behind the arc and earned three steals in twenty-four minutes.
Hilbert travels to Keuka College November 26 for another non-conference double-header event with the women’s basketball teams taking the floor first at 6pm.