PALATINE, IL-  The Harper College men's basketball team took on the McHenry County College Scots in Palatine on Thursday night.  Harper ultimately dropped the contest 88-66.

The beginning of the first half showed the makings of a tight contest, as the Hawks kept the game within two points at 12-10 in the first five minutes.  However, the next 7 minutes proved costly for the Hawks as MCC went on an 18-7 run and built up a 13 point lead.  MCC would extend their lead to 41-25 with 3 minutes to go in the half before taking a 44-27 lead heading into the break.  The Scots made the Hawks pay for their fouls, as the Scots went 13-14 at the line while also hitting 60% of their shots from the floor.  James Allen's (/Hoffman Estates) 10 points at the break was the Hawks' bright spot as the team committed 13 turnovers and 10 fouls in the half.

The break did well for Harper, as them team came out moving at a quicker pace and moving the ball through the offense.  Adrian Punzalan's () free throws with 14 minutes to go in the game brought the Hawks back to a manageable 12 point deficit as they outscored the Scots 11-6 to start the half.  MCC would respond with an 11-5 run of their own over the next 4 minutes before committing both a shooting and technical foul on the same play.  This would be an opportunity squandered for the Hawks as they missed both technical free throws and both shooting foul free throws to keep the deficit at 18 points.  The Scots took advantage and ran their lead up to a game-high 24 points with just under 2 minutes remaining in the game.  The game ended with a final score of 88-66, making the Hawks' record 1-3 for the season.

The Hawks shot at a decent 48% clip from the floor but were out-shot by McHenry 63-44, thanks in part to their -9 turnover differential.  Harper was not able to take advantage from the charity stripe as they went just 16-30 (53%) from the line.  James Allen (/Hoffman Estates) led the team in scoring with a game-high 23 points on 8-15 shooting.  Brendon Thompson (/Hoffman Estates) had an efficient night overall, totaling 7 points and 9 rebounds while chipping in a block, a steal, and two assists.

After a rare off weekend, Harper will be back in action Tuesday as their string of home games continues.  The Hawks will host the Oakton Owls at 7pm.