The Gators, who improved to 10-2 and 4-0 in the NCAC, grabbed victory number 111 for head coach Jennifer Reimer, besting the previous mark held by Ronda Seagraves (110-49, 1986-92). Reimer's career record at Allegheny now stands at 111-61 (.645).
One wasn't enough, however, as senior center Jennifer Latronica (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) became the school's all-time leader in blocked shots, swatting five Quaker attempts to give her 128 for her career, two better than the previous mark held by Molly DeVoogt (126, 1989-93). It was part of a career-night for the senior as she also poured in a personal best 19 points to go with eight rebounds.
It was a back-and-forth battle early until the hosts rattled off a 9-0 run just past the midway point of the first half, turning a one-point lead (8-7) into 10 (17-7) with 9:26 remaining. Earlham stayed within striking distance, cutting the deficit to just one possession (21-18) on a Tracy Hill free throw at 4:39, but Allegheny capped the stanza with an 8-1 run to take a 10-point lead (29-19) at the break.
The Gator advantage grew to as many as 11 at the beginning of the second half, but the pesky Quakers again crawled back in, cutting a 35-26 deficit at 12:16 to just 35-32 three minutes later. Sophomore Maggie Mucha (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) followed with a three-pointer to up the lead to six for the hosts and with 3:24 left, Latronica, who tallied a team-best 10 points in the first half, pushed the margin to double-digits with five consecutive points, including an old-fashioned three-point play following an offensive rebound.
Latronica finished 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from the free throw line en route to her career-high, while sophomore Stephanie Wolf (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) added 10 tallies and six rebounds. Mucha also notched a career-high with seven points, one better than her previous best achieved twice this season.
Earlham, which connected on just 15-of-60 field goals (.250) and missed all seven three-point attempts, was led by Shontavia Davis with 11 points. Hill finished with seven points and a game-high 13 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass.
The Gators continue play on Saturday, Jan. 6, with a key NCAC match up against rival Wittenberg University (5-6, 1-2 NCAC) beginning at 4 p.m. in the Wise Center.