The Gators shot the lights out in the first half, shooting 18-of-25 (72.0%) from the field, while hitting five of their six three-point attempts en route to their 43 halftime points. Denison, however, shot nearly as well, hitting 20-of-31 shots (64.5%), also scoring 43 points in the first stanza.
The game was back and forth for the first 11 minutes of the game, before the Big Red took an eight-point, 26-19 lead with 10:02 to play. Allegheny fought back, going on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 28 with 6:57 to play in the period. The largest lead either team would get the rest of the way was four points, as the two teams were knotted at 43 headed into the break.
Denison scored the first six points of the second half, opening a 16 point lead at 74-58 with 9:20 to play in the game before the Blue and Gold clawed their way back, using a 14-1 run to close to within three with 2:31 to play in the period. The hosts got as close as one when Majzlik converted a three-point play with 23 seconds remaining, before Dan Izzo of the Big Red canned a pair of free throws to give the visitors a three-point lead with three seconds to play in the game.
For the game the Gators hit 60.8% (31-51) of their shots and 8-of-13 (61.5%) from long range, while Denison connected on 32-of-52 (61.5%) shots from the field, while hitting 12-of-15 free throws, including a 6-for-6 effort in the last three minutes of the game.
Hollihan scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting while Ben Torsney (Morgantown, W.Va) (right) and Savage each chipped in nine for the Gators. Savage and Torsney each pulled down a team-high four rebounds, as there were just 42 combined rebounds in the game. Casey McCloskey (Erie/Cathedral Prep) dished out five assists, while Savage picked up four steals.
Denison was led by Dan Hodgkinson, who scored 23 points, 19 in the first half, while Robb Hern added 21, including hitting 9-of-10 shots from the charity stripe. Shea McMahon (15) and Jordan Krantz (11) also ended the game in double figures, while Hern and Steve Koecheler each dished out five assists.
The Gators hit the road on Wednesday, January 18 when they travel to Oberlin, Ohio to face off against the Yeomen of Oberlin College with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. in the second game of a men’s/women’s double header before hosting top ranked (d3hoops.com) Wittenberg University on Saturday, January 21.
Boxscorehttp://www.allegheny.edu/athletics/menbb/0506/html/allm0114.htm">Boxscore >