Box Score PITTSBURGH - Carnegie Mellon used a lengthy run midway through the second half to pull away for a 73-65 victory over the Gators in a non-conference matinee at Skibo Gymnasium. 

Leading 33-27 just a minute into the second half, the Gators (3-9) watched the Tartans (7-4) embark on a 26-8 run to open up an advantage that proved too large to overcome.

Clark Tritto led four Gators in double figures on the scoresheet with 14 points, while Ryan Stanko scored 12, D'Andre Corbin 11, and Marco Corona 10 in a losing effort.  Corona led the Gators with seven rebounds.  

In a sluggish first half, the Gators got off to a solid start, opening up a 5-0 lead less than a minute into play, and an 8-4 advantage at the 15-minute mark.  The game then took a defensive turn, as the teams would combine for just one bucket apiece over the next six minutes, with the Gators leading 10-6 with just under 9:30 left in the half.

Jumpers from Stanko and Brandon Smith gave the Gators their largest lead of the half, 14-8, with 6:52 left, before the hosts used a strong inside game to respond with eight unanswered to grab their first lead of the day, 16-14, with 5:17 remaining until the break.

The Tartan advantage would eventually swell to seven, 25-18, with two minutes remaining until the break, before five quick points from Tritto and a pair of Corbin free throws closed the Allegheny halftime deficit to 27-25.

The first half was hardly an offensive exhibition for either squad, as the Gators shot just 34 percent (10-for-19) from the field, including a 2-for-10 showing from long range, while the Tartans went 38 percent (11-for-29) from the field, and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Allegheny quickly seized the lead to open up the second half, as three-pointers on consecutive possessions from Valentic and John O'Donnell put the visitors in front 31-27 with 19 minutes left in regulation.

The tide would quickly change.  Carnegie Mellon's offense woke up to erupt for 26 points over the next eight minutes, while the Gators went cold, connecting on just two of its next nine shots while turning the ball over four times to fall behind 53-39 at the 11-minute mark.

The Tartan lead would hover between 12 and 15 points over the next several minutes, until the Gators began to chip away.  A pair of Tritto layups sandwiched a Corbin bucket to cut the gap to seven, 62-55, with just under two minutes left.   

CMU then went to the foul line to push its lead back into double figures, as the Tartans hit four free throws in a 40-second span to jump in front 67-56 with 53 seconds left.  Evan Zabriski's foul shot, sandwiched between a pair of Corona lay ups, cut the deficit to 68-61 with 30 seconds left, before the hosts went back to the line to put the game away, going 5-for-6 over the final 20 seconds to seal the eight-point win.

While the teams posted relatively similar shooting numbers from the field (Gators 27-for-62, Tartans 26-for-53), Carnegie Mellon held a large advantage at the foul line, connecting on 18 of 25 attempts to the Gators' 6-for-13 showing.  The Tartans also held the rebounding edge, 40-33.

Christian Manoli led Carnegie Mellon with 15 points, while Rashaun Riley and Asad Meghani scored 13 apiece. 

Allegheny returns to action on Saturday, January 11th, playing host to North Coast Athletic Conference foe Ohio Wesleyan at 3 p.m. at the David V. Wise Center.