GREENVILLE, Pa. – Allegheny withstood a late Thiel rally to top the Tomcats 63-59 in non-conference action at the Beeghly Gymnasium.

Brandon Smith tallied his first double-double of the season with a career-high 20 points along with 10 rebounds, as the Gators (3-1) overcame a season-high 19 turnovers by connecting on 17 of 20 attempts at the foul line, and out-rebounding the Tomcats  45-30.

After Thiel opened play by taking a 7-2 lead four minutes in, the Gators charged back, embarking on a 13-0 run to go in front 20-11 at the 12-minute mark.  During the five-minute spurt, the Gators received baskets from five different players, capped off by a reverse baseline layup by Chris Milon.

The Tomcats countered with a quick run of their own, scoring nine straight points in a two-minute span to tie the game at 20 at the midpoint of the half. 

The Gators answered right back to take momentum into the intermission.  Layups by Smith, Evan Zabriski, and Evan Schweitzer put the visitors in front 26-20 with seven minutes remaining, before a pair of Isaiah Henderson free throws gave Allegheny a 30-22 lead with 3:57 to go.  Thiel cut the gap to five with 2:37 remaining, but the Gators scored six of the half's final 10 points, with two apiece by Smith, Zabriski, and Josh Valentic, to enter the locker room ahead 36

Allegheny stayed in control to open the second half, and after baskets by Gabe Seidman and Zabriski put the visitors up 40-28 at the 17-minute mark, the Gator lead would hover between nine and 12 points over the next several minutes. 

A 6-0 Thiel run cut the lead to 53-47 with 6:45 left, but five straight points from Smith in a 60-second span, highlighted by a conventional three-point play, pushed the advantage back into double digits at 58-47 with 4:43 left in regulation.    

The Tomcats again chipped away at the Gator lead, scoring eight straight points and holding Allegheny scoreless on nine straight possessions to make the score 58-55 as the game entered the final minute.   It was as close as the hosts would get, however, as Allegheny put the game away at the foul line, going 5-for-6 over the final 30 seconds to hold off the Thiel comeback.

Smith was one of three players in double figures for the Gators, as Zabriski added 16 points and Valentic 11.  Smith, who went 9-for-14 from the field, and Zabriski, who was 5-for-8, led a Gator offense that shot 41 percent for the game (22-for-54).  Valentic went 7-for-8 from the foul line, while Zabriski and Donte Wallette each had six rebounds.
Thiel was led on the scoresheet by Khari Bess, who posted 17 points and a game-high five assists.  Eric Mallinger chipped in with 10 points, while grabbing a team-high seven boards for the Tomcats, who fall to 2-2 on the year.

The Gators will return to action on Tuesday, when they open a two-game home stand with a 7 p.m. contest against Carnegie Mellon at the David V. Wise Center.