AMCC MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME OF THE WEEK: PENN ST. ALTOONA @ HILBERT
Penn State Altoona (7-8, 6-3 AMCC) will travel to Hilbert College (8-7, 5-4 AMCC) on Saturday afternoon for the AMCC men's basketball game of the week.
AMCC Men's Basketball Game of the Week:
Penn State Altoona at Hilbert College
Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.
Penn State Altoona (7-8, 6-3 AMCC) will travel to Hilbert College (8-7, 5-4 AMCC) on Saturday afternoon for the AMCC men's basketball game of the week. Hilbert returns to the Hafner Rec Center after three straight AMCC road games. The Hawks are 4-2 over the last six games which included a 1-point loss to Behrend last week. The Lions come into this week riding high after an impressive 3-0 performance against AMCC teams last week, as the Lions defeated Mount Aloysius College on the road last Wednesday before posting back-to-back home wins over Penn State Behrend and D’Youville College on Saturday and Sunday.
The Lions have been propelled by their four starting senior players: guard/forwards Javon Wilson, Quinn Luhr, and Anton Lucas and forward Jordan Smith. Wilson is Penn State Altoona’s leading scorer, ranking fifth in the AMCC with 15.4 points per game. Luhr is 12th in the conference in rebounds per game (6.1) and 19th in scoring (12.0 points per game), and his total of 33 three-pointers made is third-best in the AMCC. Together, Wilson and Luhr have combined for 64 three-pointers this year. Lucas has provided strong defense for Penn State Altoona, ranking fifth in the AMCC in blocks (20) and ninth in steals (23) while adding 4.8 rebounds per game, and he scores 8.1 points per game. Smith’s presence in the paint has been big for the Lions, as the forward is third in the AMCC in rebounds per game (7.6) and fourth in total rebounds (106), and he is averaging 9.4 points per game.
Hilbert’s five starters blend together and create a tough match-up daily for opponents. Freshman PG Hunter Martineau quarterbacks the team with league-leading stats: 93 total assists, 6.2 assists per game and a 2.4 assist to turnover ratio. Junior G Jalen Smith returned to full strength last week and continues to average 18 points per game to lead four players in double figure scoring. Sophomore F Nicholas Parucki chips in 14 points per game behind his league-leading 59.7 percent field goal accuracy. Junior F Derrek Carman (11.7 ppg) has collected 115 rebounds which places him 2nd in the league at 7.7 rebounds per gaem and senior G Kirkland Ottey is a real threat from long distance knocking down 45.5% of his 3-point shots and posting 10.6 points a game.