HOUGHTON, NY – A 38-point, 15-rebound, effort by Lou Bellamy wasn't enough for the Houghton Highlanders on Wednesday night, as they watched a nine-point second-half lead slip through their fingers, losing to the Hilbert Hawks, 79-84.
 
After taking a five-point lead into the half, the Highlanders led by nine points with 16 minutes to play, when the Hawks peeled off a 17-2 run to go up by four.
 
Houghton stayed in contention through the remainder of the game, and the Hawks never led by more than six, and while the Highlanders had multiple opportunities to tie or pull ahead, they could not find the equalizer.
 
In the second half, Hilbert shot 61 percent from the floor and hit 13 free throws.
 
While Houghton committed only two turnovers in the final 20 minutes, they converted only 39 percent of their shots and made only three trips to the foul line. 
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 79 | Hilbert – 84
Records: Houghton: 2-2 |Hilbert: 4-1
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton University | Attendance: 342

NOTABLE STATS
>> Bellamy's 38 points is the most scored by a Highlanders since February 13, 2017, when Dylan Lambert put up 41 points against Alfred University.  The night marked Bellamy's first double-double in a Houghton uniform.
 
>> Trey Flatt hit 4-of-9 from long range and 4-of-4 from the line, tallying 16 points and three assists.  Christian Sage added nine points and six assists.
 
>> Shaheem Ellis led the Hawks with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Quran Briggs and Larry Morse added 19 points apiece.

COACH'S CORNER
"I was pretty disappointed in our overall demeanor tonight. We did not handle success well, and our inconsistency reared its' head.
 
"A lot of credit to Hilbert for sticking with what they do and making us pay for our mistakes. That's the second time already this season where we've allowed 60% shooting in the second half of a game. When you combine that with us having an off-night shooting, that's a bad recipe. We learned from Bethany and got better defensively, so I believe we will do that again.
 
"Lou Bellamy is an exciting player and did a great job of keeping us in the game on the offensive end. Our guys found him well when he was clicking and that is something to build on. Lou's going to be tougher to handle with every game he gets under his belt.
 
"Trey Flatt has done a great job of accepting his role as a second ball-handler, knockdown shooter, and top perimeter defender. He's a gamer, he's tough, and he wants to finish his career well. Those things are contagious and I hope it spreads throughout our team." – Head Coach Jeremy Bialek

UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel to Canton, NY on Friday, where they will take on the SUNY Canton Roos at 7:00 p.m.  The Roos defeated the Highlanders last season, in Houghton, 81-74, while Houghton won in December 2022, in Canton, 86-79.