Denison utilized a balanced scoring attack and managed to survive Allegheny’s lively full court press to earn the crucial 13-point victory over the Gators.
Six Big Red players found themselves in double-digits in the scoring column as they shot 52 percent from the field as a team and hit 26-of-30 (.867) from the line.
Denison was led in scoring by sophomore Dan Hodgkinson who finished with 24 points off 9-of-14 shooting. Hodgkinson also grabbed seven rebounds and finished with five assists.
Junior Robb Hern and sophomore Dan Izzo both netted 14 points while Hern was the most active on the boards, pulling down a team-high nine caroms.
Senior guard Clint Shepherd drained three treys and was 4-of-9 from the floor for 13 points in 27 minutes. Classmate Chris Hull and sophomore Tony Julian rounded out the scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Gators were paced by a pair of 20-point efforts from Matt Maizlik and Casey McCloskey. Justin Schmitt finished with 14 points and Bill Babe checked in with 11 markers.
The Big Red did an outstanding job on the boards, outrebounding the Gators 40-27.
With four games remaining on the schedule the Big Red control their own destiny regarding potential seeding in the upcoming NCAC Tournament. Four victories over Oberlin, Wabash, Kenyon and Hiram would secure them third place in the conference’s final standings and a #3 seed in the tournament. One loss to one of the four teams would drop them to fourth place. The top four seeds will host the quarterfinal round.
Denison will hit the road on Wednesday to face Oberlin College at 7:30 p.m. They will return home next Saturday for a showdown with Wabash College. The Little Giants handed the Big Red a 64-61 loss on Jan. 15 in Crawfordsville.