After a quick start today, the Hilbert College Men’s Basketball team struggled offensively to keep pace with Pitt-Greensburg who claimed an 86-60 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory.  

HIGHLIGHTS

Quran Briggs and Eric Jackson each notched double digit scoring  with Briggs hitting for 15 points while Jackson added 12 and a team-best four assists and one block.

Hilbert earned 15 offensive rebounds but only turned the boards in 14 second-chance points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hilbert set the pace of the game early.  The Hawks won the tap and Edward Perez scored the first bucket less than ten seconds into the game.  Briggs connected from downtown and then went right to the rim for two more after picking a Bobcats’ pocket. Both teams traded scores until Hilbert went on a 4-0 run with a made jumper by Briggs and a fastbreak layup by Jackson s they built their largest lead of six points just under three minutes into the game.
• Greensburg responded with an 8-2 run and after knotting the game at 15-all, they continued to roll the dice from beyond the arc.   The Bobcats drained three consecutive 3-point shots to pull away 24-19.
• Nevada Eldridge scored twice for the Hawks, but Greensburg squeezed anther 3-point make in the middle to maintain the lead 27-23 with nine minutes left in the first half.
• On their very next possession, the Bobcats were whistled for an offensive foul and Briggs connected in the paint inching the Hawks into a two-point game (25-27).
• The Hawks went cold from the floor and struggled to control the Bobcats as they closed the half getting outscored 17-7. 
• Jackson and Miller each netted from deep and Eldridge made one free throw as Hilbert trailed 44-32 at the break.
• Things did not improve for Hilbert in the second half.  Their field goal percentage dropped to 22.9 percent but went to the foul line 19 times, hitting 12.  Greensburg continued to be confident on offense and never show any panic as they ran their patterns and drew fouls.

GAME NOTES

• Jahmel Demery led the Hawks with seven rebounds but the Bobcats won the battle of the boards today (46-42).
• The Hawks also unleashed more field goal attempts and went to the foul line 19 times in the second half but they could defend both the inside power of the Bobcats big men or the range from the perimeter of their shooters.  
• Greensburg, after hitting 7-of-12 3-pointers, cooled to only 2-for-4 attempts but ran their offense with purpose and attempted more free throws and field goals in the second period than the first. 

UP NEXT

The Hawks (9-11, 6-4 AMCC) remain in third place as they close the season with three of their last four games on the road.  Hilbert travels to Alfred State College (2-8) February 8,  La Roche University (9-1) February 11 and Pitt-Bradford (5-5) February 15.

The Hawks will host their Senior Day celebration February 18 when they host Mount Aloysius in the Hafner.  Make plans now to be in attendance to honor Wendell Abellard, Zach Miller, Elijah Powell and student-coach and former two-year player Jesse Price.

Editor’s Note: This article was shared with the Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.

HAMBURG, N.Y.  –  Shaheem Ellis, for the second time in two Wednesday’s, lifted Hilbert College to an important Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference victory which kept the Hawks in the top three in the league standings.

Tonight, the sophomore guard drilled a 3-point shot with 0.3 seconds left in overtime for the 86-84 win against Penn State Behrend.

Hilbert (6-3) stays in the hunt behind Penn State Altoona and La Roche who sit at 8-1 each.

HIGHLIGHTS

Hilbert did a great job picking apart Penn State Behrend’s match-up zone defense and found openings at the foul line or down on the blocks or at the wings.  The Hawks finished the game shooting 48.6% from the floor, and 42.9% from downtown, hitting the most 3’s this season (9).

Quran Briggs collected 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while a trio of second-year players all notched 13 points.  Shaheem Ellis made 3-of-7 3-pointers and went 2-for-2 at the foul line along with one steal at midcourt which led to a transition fastbreak layup.  Edward Perez worked hard for six offensive rebounds (8 total) and added two blocked shots, and Jahmel Demery  pulled down six rebounds and finished with three assists.

Eric Jackson threaded the needle seven times while hitting 3-of-4 from the floor (8 points).  Zach Miller tossed in three shots from downtown – Nevada Eldridge hit all three of his shots from the floor in addition to going 2-for-2 at the foul line – and Austin Boies gave quality minutes hitting two jumers in the winning effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The entire 45 minutes of action was exciting watching both teams execute on offense and perform on the defensive end of the court.    There were six lead changes by each team and each team forced a tie score six times in the first half. 
• The Hawks built a 42-39 lead heading into the locker room thanks to a Zach Miller make from beyond the arc. Hilbert outworked the Lions 21-14 on the glass, picking them for 10 offensive rebounds in the first half and limited the visitors looks from the 3-point line.
• Hilbert opened the second half on fire.  Edward Perez was in a potential 3-point play, but missed the freebie, then Miller struck again deep which preceded the fastbreak layup made by Quran Briggs (both those scores were assisted by Eric Jackson).  Hilbert held their largest lead 49-43 just two and a half minutes into the second period.
• The Lions had three consecutive positive possessions, and held the Hawk scoreless as Behrend jumped on top 50-49. 
• 12-lead changes later, Perez converted his And 1 and Ellis hit a jumper in the paint to give Hilbert a 67-63 lead again. 
• Behrend knotted the game at 71 with 1:45 left in regulation but Jackson set up Briggs for a 3-point make lifting the Hawks 74-71 with 1:19 on the clock.
• Behrend sliced the difference to one before Perez scored in the paint keeping the Hawks up by three points with 0:22.
• The Lions secured an offensive rebound put-back score which then led to a make at the foul line to tie the score at 76-all.
• After a Hilbert miss, the Lions walked to the other end of the floor for two free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining.  After their shooter missed the first, Hilbert called a timeout to freeze the shooter and it worked.
• Behrend won the tip off the jump ball at the start of over time.
• Eldridge hit both free throws before the Lions scored a driving lay up.
• Briggs connected from outside the lane and then the Hawks forced a deep 3-point miss by Behrend as their 30-second shot was expiring. 
• Boies went 1-for-2 at the foul line and gave Hilbert another 3-point lead but the visitors scored again off a driving layup to set the 81-80 in favor of Hilbert.
• Briggs made a layup in the paint and then Behrend’s top scorer made both at the foul line setting another 83-82 tight score.
• The Hawks were whistled for a 5-second inbound violation with 26.1 seconds left which gave Behrend the ball and they took an 84-83 lead with 9 seconds. 
• Hilbert delivered the ball the Ellis on the right wing near his bench and he drilled the 3-pointer for the win.

GAME NOTES

• At the conclusion of the 45-minute game, Hilbert won the boards (45-31), shot better from the 3-point line (42.9%-33.3%) and made more shots from downtown than Behrend (9/7).
• By the final horn, there were 22 lead changes made by each team and each team forced 11 tie score situations.  

UP NEXT

The Hawks (9-10, 6-3 AMCC) return to the Hafner Recreation Center this weekend for another AMCC series with the women’s team.  Hilbert will host Pitt-Greensburg in a 1pm / 3pm double header against the Bobcats.

Editor’s Note: This story is shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.

ALTOONA, Pa.  – Hilbert College ran into a Penn State Altoona team who was on fire this afternoon. 

The Hawks were clawed by the Lion’s men’s basketball team by the final score, 129-90 after falling behind 74-45 at the break.  Altoona did not miss from the floor and continued to pour in points during the full 40-minute game.

HIGHLIGHTS

Jahmel Demery went 5-for-5 in the first half and finished with 13 points and a team highs – three assists and eight rebounds. 

Quran Briggs led Hilbert with 21 points, hitting 10-17 from the floor while Edward Perez tossed in 14 points and pulled down five offensive rebounds (7 total).  Shaheem Ellis added 11 points and Eric Jackson went 5-for-7 at the foul line to chip in nine points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Altoona jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead after hitting three of their first four shots and forced a Hilbert timeout.  After falling behind by 11 (11-0) Hilbert sliced the margin to seven off an Edward Perez jumper, a Quran Briggs fast-break layup and two at the foul line by Eric Jackson.
• Altoona then went on an 11-point run from which the Hawks were unable to recover from.
• Shaheem Ellis knocked down a 3-pointer and cut the point spread to under 20, but the Lions continued to pour in points beyond the arc.
• Altoona did their damage deep, hitting 13-og-19 from downtown and built a 75-45 score at intermission.

GAME NOTES

• Hilbert bested the Lions in second chance points – 19-10 – but Altoona, who finished the game connecting at a fire-hot 63.3% from the floor, and 62.9% beyond the arc (22-35), didn’t have very many offensive rebound opportunities.
• Altoona outscored Hilbert 39-19 in fastbreak points and 34-19 in points off turnovers.
• Hilbert forced 17 Altoona turnovers while committing 19 themselves.
• The Hawks closed the game hitting 44.3% from the floor, 14.3% from the 3-point line and made 18-0f-28 shots at the foul line. 

UP NEXT

The Hawks (8-10, 5-3 AMCC) return to the Hafner for another AMCC battle against Penn State Behrend on Wednesday, February 1st at 7:00 pm.

Editor’s Note: This story was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.

 The Hawks faced off against AMCC opponent La Roche today at home in the Hafner Recreation Center. It was a close game with La Roche who stays undefeated in AMCC play. The Hawks fall to 1-5 after the 65-64 defeat.

HIGHLIGHTS
Ashley Schroeder led the way for the Hawks today collecting a team high 23 points in the loss while also managing to wrangle in 4 rebounds. Mackenzie Catan and Grace Zabawa both earned 12 points. Zabawa also managed to get 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Alesia Hamm led the team with 13 rebounds and Maria Spinelli also helped in the rebound category earning 8.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first quarter was a tight knit one where no team could gain an edge. La Roche started off the game doing a full court press but the Hawks stayed aggressive managing to constantly break it and causing them to switch up their game plan. Maria Spinelli was the first to score for Hilbert making 2 free throws. This would Ashley Schroeder as she would go on to score 9 points the rest of the first quarter from all around the court. The quarter would end in a stalemate at 13.
• The Hawks aggressive play led to a lead in fouls and they continuously cashed in helping to grow a lead in the second. Belle Oakley and Alesia Hamm would both hit for 2 at the start of this quarter. Due to the Hawks strong play La Roche switched back to a full court press with 2 minutes left in the half but this would not stop the Hawks. Ashely Schroeder kept up her good play as well helping Hilbert gain a 31-23 lead going into halftime.
• La Roche came out of the halftime break strong and managed to gain their first lead of the game until Mackenzie Catan hit from 3 point range to take back the lead 37-36. La Roche continued to push but again she would hit from 3 to tie the game back up at 40. La Roche would then score in the paint three times in a row and would regain the lead. Grace Zabawa finished this quarter strong with multiple made layups to keep it close going into the final quarter of play.
• With the close game being on the line the Hawks did not stop and fought back into it. With 2 minutes remaining La Roche led by 3 until Mackenzie Catan hit a baseline jumper and made it a 1 point game. The Hawks began to foul attempting to get possession of the ball and in the final seconds of the game down by 3 Grace Zabawa would hit from deep but would need to one foot further away to make it a 3. The Hawks would lose by 1 point, 65-64.

GAME NOTES
Hilbert shot 23 for 68 today while also shooting 5 for 12 from 3 point range and 13 for 18 from the free throw line. La Roche managed to dominate the game in the paint as they scored more than half of their points in the paint with 38 while Hilbert only scored 20.

UP NEXT
Next on the schedule for them is an away game against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. This game will be on Wednesday January 25^th at 7:00 PM.

Editor’s Note: This story was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.

 Today’s game lived up to the AMCC Game of the Week billing.

After taking a five-point lead to the locker room, the Hilbert College Men’s Basketball team hit a dry spell the first seven minutes after the break and fell in an 83-74 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference game against the undefeated Redhawks from La Roche University.

The Redhawks shifted gears in the second half and ran their offense to the rim as opposed to settling for shots from the perimeter as they did the first twenty minutes.  Hilbert continued to pound the ball in the paint both halves and were successful except for a short stretch early in the second half when La Roche pulled away.

HIGHLIGHTS

Edward Perez (3 assists) earned his fifth double-double of the season, paring 18 points and 10 rebounds, earning game-high honors with four on the offensive glass.  Perez went 8-for-17, the first time this season he led the team in field goal attempts and pulled down all four offensive rebounds as the Hawks fought back into the game late. 

Quran Briggs led Hilbert with 21 points, with one stretch carrying the Hawks to the 37-32 lead at intermission and Eric Jackson added 11 points and nine rebounds while dishing a team-best four assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• La Roche scored first off the tip and then each team took turns trading baskets the first eight minutes of the first half.
• The Redhawks started the game in man with defensive trapping on high pick and rolls before they switched to a 1-3-1 defense while the Hawks defended with their own zone or man-to-man defense.
• There were five occasions where the score was tied and four lead changes until La Roche built an 18-14 score at 11:51.
• Perez finished a three-point play to pull within one point, but the Redhawks hit a three-pointer on their next trip to go back up by four.
• Austin Boies responded immediately for Hilbert to inch back to a 22-23 score.
• Three more lead changes happened and then Zach Miller hit two free throws which lifted Hilbert by two (28-26) at 5:59.
• The Hawks kept the lead through the rest of the half, with three different players lighting up the score board.
• La Roche opened the second half hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and took a 38-37 lead at 17:28.
• The Redhawks maintained a 2-possession separation on the scoreboard for four minutes but then built a double figure lead 57-47 with just under 12 minutes left in the game.
• La Roche continued to push the ball in transition and went from six first-half fast break points to 18 by the final horn.
• The Hawks battled back from a 14-point deficit and made it an 8-point game before surrendering a late-game free throw to set the 83-74 final.

GAME NOTES

• Hilbert cooled from the opening first half shooting percentage (46.7%) to 43.3% after 40 minutes and hit 14-20 from the foul line.
• La Roche improved their shooting as the game progressed after taking it to the rim the second half, going from 36.8% to 59.4% (47.1% for the game).
• Hilbert was tagged with 10 turnovers which La Roche converted into 20 points and the Redhawks out rebounded the hosts 83-74.
• Devon Darrell propelled La Roche to the win recording 26 points, (11-17 from field) seven assists and three rebounds. 

UP NEXT

Hilbert (4-2 AMCC) returns to the Hafner Recreation Center this Wednesday to host Pitt-Bradford (3-3) who just earned a three-point victory over Pitt-Greensburg this afternoon.  The Hawks will tip at 7pm against the Panthers January 25th.

Editor’s Note: This story was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department

Hilbert College hosted an event celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with key note speaker Bishop Roderick Hennings delivering remarks to the campus community.

Hennings delivered an impassioned speech, urging students to try to heal the many divides that exist today in American culture, a reference to the aspirations of King.

“America is still divided,” Hennings said. “And what’s changing the culture is your generation.”

He told the crowd in Swan Auditorium that it is up to them to take advantage of the opportunity they have to make the world a better place.

“If we’re really going to have reconciliation, if we’re really going to change the backdrop of the world, we have to cross ethnic cultures.

Jamal Harris, the president of the Black Student Union, told his fellow students that message he often pulls from King’s teachings is to always hold onto hope, no matter how difficult things may seem.

“College is going to be one of the best times of your life,” Harris said. “You’re going to go through some unbelievably high, highs and with that some lows,” Harris said. “But those lows will not last forever. There is light at the end of the tunnel and for the sake of this generation, you must chose to hold onto hope.”

Dr. Deidre Debose, the college’s vice president of mission and equity, said she thought the program brought a great message to an increasingly diverse campus.

“In a addition to diversity we must have inclusion,” Debose said. “It doesn’t make sense to get a diverse group of people together without making sure we find ways to connect and make sure they are validated and heard and respected.”

The Annual Christmas Card event was held in Swan Auditorium last month. During the event Hilbert College’s President Michael Brophy played his piano to the tunes of Silent Night, Dashing Through the Snow, and to the theme of A Charlie Brown Christmas, as about a dozen students sang and danced to the tunes of President Brophy, all the while, being recorded on video which will be sent to friends of Hilbert College that live across the United States.

When going to college many students to take out student loans to help pay for school.

A Student loan is money you borrow from the federal government or private organization to help pay off college expenses. These must be paid off later with interest. After six months of graduating college, you must start paying off your loans. According to studentloanhero.com about 48 million Americans have student loan debt.

To help with student loan debt President Joe Biden announced a one-time student loan relief for people who are making less than $125,00, according to studentaid.gov With this debt relief you could get up to $20,000 in relief if you received a Federal Pell grant in college and meet the income requirements. Or you can get up to $10,000 in debt relief if you didn’t receive a Federal Pell grant in college and meet the income requirements.

A graduate student from Hilbert college Samantha said her student loan debt has caused her a great deal of stress.

“I’ve had to work a lot more hours in order to be able to pay all my bills along with my student loans,” said Samantha.

She said she recently applied for the student loan debt relief and if accepted the relief will lift a big weight off her shoulders.

“If my application goes through it’ll drop my debt from $23,000 to $3,000, and I can put all my focus back onto helping my family,” said Samantha.

To see if you qualify for the one-time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief you can visit studentaid.gov. Applying for this one-time debt relief ends on December 31st, 2022.

Hilbert’s Associate Bursar Beverly Szczur said “with people getting their debt forgiven they may consider going back to school to further their education.”

One of the most anticipated events of the semester took place in early November in the Swan auditorium.

Hilbert Reads, the annual campuswide collective reading event, welcomed author Craig Grossi, and his dog Fred, to Swan Auditorium  where he spoke about his journey and message early this month..

Gross is the author of the book “Craig and Fred”, a story about how he found his dog, and how they rescued each other.

Those attending showed support for Grossi and his dog from the start, giving a round of applause and some cheers for Fred. It was a positive atmosphere filled with laughs, some tears, and a few naps from Fred. After telling his story, Grossi was welcoming to questions and said he was “most excited” to talk and answer questions for students.

Grossi was a marine and served in Afghanistan, and found Fred while deployed. In his books, he talks about his experiences while serving and the post-war struggles he faces. Fred taught Craig an important lesson, he said.

“We can find ways to wag our tails regardless of what we’re going through.”

Grossi preached “stubborn positivity” to the audience.

“It’s most important to focus on the bad, when you focus on the bad, you can find the good in it” he added.

Grossi ended off the night with a book signing, (Fred a paw signing) after answering numerous questions from the audience. Struggling with PTSD hasn’t been an easy road for him. Being able to talk to the youth and publish a book about them hasn’t felt “real” to him, he said.

One of the freshmen attending shared that it was an “inspirational” experience. Grossi “was open and honest about his experiences” using these experiences he “found strength to share his problems with others to help benefit and inspire them.”

He ended with a final takeaway to share with students.

“As humans, there is always a reason for us to be happy,” Grossi said. “It may just be difficult to find it sometimes.”