HAMBURG, N.Y. - The Hilbert College men's basketball team improved to 9-2 overall and 4-1 in league play after their 97-84 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory over Mount Aloysius College (5-6, 2-3). Today's 97 points were the most scored this year by the Hawks, but marked the third time this season where they reached the 90-point plateau.

Sophomore Xavier Major gave Hilbert his best effort in his short career. He led the Hawks with 23 points and 11 rebounds to earn his first double-double. Fellow sophomore Jerame Owens netted 24 points while junior Trevor Stark added 22 points, hitting a perfect 6 for 6 at the foul line to close out the contest.

Earning game-high scoring honors was Mount Aloysius' Shawn Greenfield who was unstoppable at times. He shot 50% from the floor (10-20), 64% from beyond the arc (7-11) and made 7 of 8 foul shots in only 26 minutes of play due to foul trouble.

Hilbert finished the game shooting 52% from the floor, bettering the Mounties who finished at 44%. The Hawks out rebounded the visitors by 10, grabbing 18 offensive boards, and forced 16 Mountie turnovers while being credited with 11 steals.

Hilbert jumped out to a 28-13 lead to start the game before Mount Aloysius called their first time out to catch their breath. The Hawks - pushing the ball to mirror the Mounties style of play - benefited early from their defense - to - offense transition scores. When not sinking fast-break layups, the Hawks moved the ball around the horn and still attacked the rim off the dribble.

Hilbert shot a blistering 59.5% from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Jerame Owens went 8 for 10 while Trevor Stark hit 4 of 5 and Xavier Major chipped in 5 of 7 shots. The Mounties' Shawn Greenfield had a hot-hand, hitting 7 of 10 (5 of 6 from beyond the arc). Mount Aloysius dropped to a zone at the 11-minute mark and that slowed the Hawks enough for the Mounties to chip away at the score. With 1:25 remaining the Mounties hit a 3-pointer to cut the score to 10 points. Hilbert held a 50-44 score at the break.

The score didn't shift much after the second half started until Xavier Major's hard work inside began to pay off. He benefitted from unselfish guard play and converted passes dumped down low into seven straight points. Nick Nadeau's offensive rebound turned into two more points and the dagger in the Mounties heart came right after when freshman Jalen Smith hit a long ball to give Hilbert their biggest lead in the half, 80-65. After Mount Aloysius cut it to a five point game with 3:28 remaining, the Hawks played smart and got to the line for freebies to end the contest with a win.

After missing a good portion of the first half due to his second foul with less than two minutes off the game clock, CJ Hodge returned to action and finished with 8 points, 5 assists and 4 steals in 23 minutes.

The Hawks return to action tomorrow when they host La Roche College at 2pm in the Hafner Recreation Center.