PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College men's basketball team led 51-34 with 11:24 to play over Moraine Valley Community College on Tuesday night. The Hawks saw that lead dwindle over the next several minutes as the Cyclones closed to within two at 59-57 with 1:50 remaining.

Leading 60-57 after Allias Burnett (Joliet, Ill. /Joliet West) split a pair of free throws, Harper (4-5) got the crucial stop it needed on the defensive end of the court. Hawks freshman Nate Woten (Chicago, Ill./Buffalo Grove) positioned himself in front of Moraine Valley guard/forward Ermias Nega as he was making a jump pass on the run, drawing a charge call. The Hawks sank 3-of-4 free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.

A trio of Harper sophomores scored 51 of Harper's 63 points in the win. Burnett, a transfer from Illinois Valley Community College, scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Despite an off night shooting, point guard Marcus Gatlin (Chicago, Ill./Curie) still managed 17 points (7-of-10 free throws), eight rebounds, and five assists. 

The biggest lift the Hawks got on Tuesday night, however, came from sophomore Abdul Mushtaq (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling). The guard poured in a career-high 16 points and knocked down four 3-pointers in the victory. He was a big reason why Harper built the big lead. With the Hawks up 39-29, Mushtaq canned a 3-pointer with 15:05 to play.

With 12:07 remaining, the sophomore buried another triple to push the Harper lead to 49-31. Less than a minute later, Mushtaq scored on a driving layup that caused the Cyclones to call a timeout and sent the Harper bench and coaching staff into a frenzy.

The Hawks shot 40 percent (22-of-55) for the game and held their opponent to just 31.7 percent (20-of-63) shooting. Calviontae Washington led Moraine Valley with 14 points, and David Gray scored 13.

Harper travels to Malcolm X College (2-7) on Thursday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 PM in Chicago.