BUFFALO, NY- The Medaille Mavericks men's college basketball team hosted the Hilbert Hawks in the first game of the semifinals of the AMCC Tournament. After a hard fought game, the Mavericks escaped with a (63-52) victory to advance to the AMCC Championship game for the third time in four years.

Leading the Mavericks was Sean Bellomo who scored (12) points and chipped in (7) rebounds, while also blocking a pair of Hawk shots. Also contributing offensively was Angel Flores who totaled (10) points and three assists while Steve Bryant added (9) points.

Helping the cause on the glass was Tyler Stevens who helped the Mavericks offense with (4) offensive rebounds.  Junior Josh Laureano led Medaille with four assists, while also scoring four points and collecting four rebounds.

After starting the game on a 19-2 run and then holding a (24-8) edge the Mavericks allowed the Hawks to chip away and head to the locker room with only a four point lead (31-27). The Hawks held Medaille scoreless for more than seven minutes during their late first half run.  The second half would prove to be more physical as the game ended with 25 fouls, including 14 in the second half but the Mavs wore down the Hawks down the stretch in claiming the win.

The big story of the game came from the free throw line. The Mavericks attempted ten free throws in the game, hitting on eight of them for a percentage of (80.0). The same could not be said for the Hawks. After getting to the line 13 times, they were only able to hit on five on their shots from the line for a (38.5%) percentage.

The win is the 12th straight for Medaille as they boost their record to (24-2) on the season.  The (24) wins ties a program record set during the 2009-10 season when they went (24-5) and advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.  The Mavericks will compete for the AMCC Championship tomorrow at 3 p.m. against the winner of the second game of the AMCC Semifinals. Penn State-Behrend plays La Roche at 8 p.m. tonight at Medaille.

SEASON STATS