Wittenberg got things rolling with a 9-0 run, and while Allegheny fought back to within three at 13-10 with 13:00 minutes remaining in the half, Wittenberg was able to go on another run, this one by a count of 13-3, giving the hosts a 26-13 advantage. Rebounding was the big reason the Gators were not able to keep the score close, as Allegheny was out-rebounded by a 27-11 margin in the first half. The Wittenberg lead teetered around 10 points over the last five minutes of the first stanza, but a Tiger lay-up with time expiring gave the hosts their 13-point, 44-31 halftime advantage.
The second half started much like the first, as Wittenberg held Allegheny scoreless for nearly six minutes after the break, and put up 13 points of its own over that stretch. The 57-31 lead was all the Tigers would need, as they cruised to the 29-point win.
Allegheny shot a respectable 40.4% (21-of-52) for the game, but allowed Wittenberg to hit on 56.5% (35-of-62) of its shots, including a 20-of-28 (71.4%) shooting performance in the second half. Allegheny’s hottest hands belonged to Torsney and Casey McCloskey, as they each hit 4-of-7 shots and tallied a combined 19 points. The team totaled just 21 rebounds in the game, compared to Wittenberg’s 41.
While Allegheny was not able to give Wittenberg the scare it gave the team when it visited Meadville, when Allegheny led with less than three minutes to play, the Gators still have a chance for redemption. Tuesday the Gators play Ohio Wesleyan in NCAC quarterfinal action. The Battling Bishops beat Allegheny in both regular season match-ups, but the Blue and Gold lost by just 10 points to the Bishops at home on February 4. The Gators actually had a two-point halftime advantage before falling by a final of 77-67.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will travel to the site of the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals, and will face either #2 Wittenberg or #7 Denison (10-15, 6-10) on Friday night.
Boxscorehttp://www.allegheny.edu/athletics/menbb/0506/html/allm0218.htm">Boxscore >