Box Score PITTSBURGH, Pa. --- Another stifling performance from the Allegheny defense and a double-double by sophomore Emma Pellicano sent the Gators to a 91-64 victory over Chatham University on Tuesday evening.

The Gators moved to 3-0 with the victory, the second time in the last three years that the squad has started the season with three wins.  Pellicano scored 23 points while grabbing 10 boards, as the sophomore and reigning Allegheny Female Athlete fo the Week was one of four Gators to finish in double-digits.  

Junior Marina Scarantino tallied 12 points while also picking up four assists.  Sophomores Jessica Mrdjenovich and Rachel Vigliotti notched 10 points a piece while junior Kendall Hoffman recorded a nine-point, six-rebound performance while adding a team-high five assists.

Allegheny's freshman forward contingent also made a splash against the Cougars, as Allegheny first years Morgan Dillon and Jessica Aulicino picked up five rebounds a piece.  Fellow freshman Aubri Caslin tallied five points and two assists. 

Sophomore Iffie Uwazie dropped a seven points, five rebounds and three assists as the Gators hit 36 total field goals, finishing the game shooting 45.0 percent from the field.

"We did a great job of finding the open teammate, and we had a balanced scoring attack," commented Allegheny head coach Kate Costanzo.  "In the second half our press led to some easy buckets, which is exactly what we wanted to do; have our defense lead into good scoring opportunities."

The Allegheny full-court press once again proved effective, as the Gators were able to force 28 Chatham turnovers en route to the victory.  Through three games, the Gators have forced 79 turnovers, forcing opponents to turn the ball over 26.3 times on average. 

In addition, Allegheny enjoyed a dominating 52-34 advantage on the glass.  The Gators are currently averaging 50.7 rebounds per game, while opponents have only picked up 39.7 boards on average, 11.0 behind the Allegheny squad.

"Chatham did a great job breaking the press in the first half and they were able to hit shots in transition," added Costanzo.  "We knew at halftime we wanted to stay in it and we would wear them down.  In the second half their shots weren't falling as much, we knew that if we stuck with the press good things would happen in the second half."

The Cougars came out shooting in the first half, hitting 7-of-11 three-pointers. Allegheny led, 38-25, with 7:10 remaining in the first half, but Chatham responded with a 9-0 run to cut the lead to four with 5:21 left.  The Gators re-built the double-digit lead and a jumper by Scarantino as the clock expired in the first half put Allegheny up, 51-39, at halftime.

In the second half, the Gators were able to quiet the Cougars' outside shooters, holding Chatham to 3-of-15 shooting from three-point range in the second frame. A layup in the paint by Mrdjenovich gave the Gators a 61-44 lead with 17:14 remaining in the second, as Allegheny soon saw its lead swell to 30 points after a fast-break layup from Caslin with 10:27 left. 

Chatham would not come within 20 points for the remainder of the contest, as Allegheny was able to take advantage of 11 Cougar turnovers in the second half to clinch the victory.

Allegheny returns to the David V. Wise Center on Thursday for a non-conference tilt against University Athletic Association (UAA) member Carnegie Mellon on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. before hosting Grove City on Nov. 22 at 4 p.m.