New York, NY - Hunter College men's basketball will begin the second half of the 2016-17 season on Friday when they host Mount Saint Mary College at 3 p.m.

The Hawks have started the year with a 5-5 overall record, going 3-1 in conference play to rank third in the CUNYAC standings behind Staten Island and Baruch. This is the Hawk's best start since the 2013-14 season where they also started 5-5.

Leading the way for the Purple and Gold so far this year is junior forward Amer Lukac. Lukac has scored in double-figures in all 10 of Hunter's games, averaging 17.2 points per game. He ranks fifth in the conference in scoring.

The junior has also been solid on the boards for Hunter, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game to rank 7th in the league.

Following Lukac is junior forward Matt Franks, who has posted an average of 11.8 points per game so far this season for 18th in the conference. He also ranks 14th in rebounding with 6.1 boards per game. Franks has been consistent from the free throw line, posting a 90.7 free throw percentage to lead the CUNYAC.

The squad has proven to be a skilled defensive team, holding opponents to an average of just 71.1 points this year for the second-best mark in the conference. 

The Hawks face Mount Saint Mary on Friday after a 17-day hiatus for exams and winter break. The Knights are 5-3 this season and have recently caught fire, winning four of their last five contests. This outing will be the first on record between the two teams.

After taking on the Knights, Hunter will face Wheelock College on January 4 before returning to conference action on January 6 against York College.