Bill Babe (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) and Ryan Hollihan (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Jimmy Savage (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) had a season-high 11 rebounds in the winning effort.
Both teams had turnover totals higher than their field goals made, Allegheny 16-to-15 and Thiel 20-to-18, as the rims were unfriendly to both teams over the entire game. The Gators hit just 31.3 percent of their shots (15-of-48), and just 4-of-13 (30.8%) on three-pointers for the contest, while the Tomcats were able to knock down 34.6 percent (18-of-52) of their shots, but hit just 2 of their 11 three-point attempts, an 18.2 percentage, and just 4-of-11 from the charity stripe, 36.4%.
The 42 points allowed was the lowest single game total given up by the Gators since 1999-2000 when the team defeated Grove City 65-42. The 49 points in a victory last happened in 1985-86 when the Blue and Gold beat Wooster 49-47.
The first half was a series of Allegheny runs and Thiel counters, as the Gators jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead to start the game, before the Tomcats regrouped and went on a 10-2 run, knotting the score at 10 apiece. Five straight by the Gators was followed by a 6-0 run by Thiel, giving the visitors their first lead of the game at 16-15 with 8:10 to play in the half.
Allegheny and Thiel then matched 8-0 runs, Allegheny’s giving them a seven-point lead while Thiel’s helping them re-gain their one-point lead. The hosts ended the first half on a 5-0 run, as they were able to take a four-point, 28-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was steadier, with the teams trading baskets for nearly the entire 20 minutes. Thiel took their last lead of the game with 10:29 to play in the contest when Brandon Mirizio put in two of his nine points, giving the visitors the 37-36 advantage. Allegheny responded, scoring seven of the next 10 points, pushing ahead to a three-point lead with 6:31 on the clock.
A Steffon Radcliff basket with 3:46 to play in the game cut the deficit to one at 42-41, before Allegheny ended the game scoring seven of the last eight points, including hitting seven of eight free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
Casey McCloskey (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) added nine points in the winning effort, putting him just 21 away from the 1,000-point plateau for his career. Hollihan came up two rebounds shy of his third consecutive double-double, pulling down eight rebounds, as he and Babe each grabbed four steals and dished out two assists to tie for the team lead.
Joe Herrmann scored a game-high 13 points, while he and Greg Hawes each nine rebounds and five blocked shots. Mirizio missed double figures by just a solitary point, putting in nine points.
The Gators take the next two weeks off for finals and the holidays, before traveling south to Orlando, Florida, where the team will face off against nationally ranked Lawrence (ninth in the d3hoops.com poll) on December 28 at 2:00 p.m., and undefeated Mary Washington (6-0 on the year) on December 29 at 4:00 p.m.