Casey McCloskey (Erie/Cathedral Prep) scored 25 points while Bill Babe (Pittsburgh/Mount Lebanon) scored in double figures for the third straight game, putting in 14 in the losing effort for the squad.
The game was back-and-forth for the first two and a half minutes of the game before Allegheny took the first half lead with 17:21 remaining, not losing their advantage until late in the game. The team then went on a 12-2 run, taking a nine-point lead with 13:37 to play in the half, increasing their first-half lead to as many as 13 before Wittenberg closed within nine for a 35-26 Allegheny lead. The first half deficit marked the first time this season the Tigers had went into the locker room trailing.
The Gators pushed the second-half lead to as many as 11 on two separate occasions, holding their lead until Tyler Howard hit a jumper in the middle of the lane with 2:39 to play. Wittenberg’s lead grew to as many as seven with a pair of Dane Borchers free throws with seven seconds left before McCloskey hit a layup with a second left, cutting the final deficit to five at 61-56.
Matt Majzlik (Monaca/Hopewell) added six points for the Gators, while Ryan Hollihan (Saxonburg/Knoch) pulled down a team-high five rebounds in addition to scoring four points. McCloskey added five assists for the Gators, while Hollihan had two steals and a block, both team highs.
Wittenberg was led by Borchers, who scored 29 of the team’s 61 points, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down 10 caroms, six offensive, to give him the double-double. Daniel Russ dished out three assists and blocked three shots, while being held to just four points on 2-of-7 shooting, his lowest scoring output of the season.
The Gators hit the road for a trio of games at Hiram, Kenyon, and Wooster before hosting Ohio Wesleyan on February 4. The first game of their road trip, Hiram, is on January 25 with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
Boxscorehttp://www.allegheny.edu/athletics/menbb/0506/html/allm0121.htm">Boxscore >