MEADVILLE, Pa. – Allegheny's Brandon Smith scored 20 points on a perfect 10-for-10 showing from the field, but it wasn't enough, as visiting Kenyon dealt the Gators a 75-72 overtime defeat in a back-and-forth affair at the David V. Wise Center.

Trailing 65-64 with 20 seconds left in regulation, the Gators tied the game on a Conor Macomber free throw, and then held the Lords scoreless on the final possession of the half to force overtime.  However, the Lords jumped out to a six-point lead with a minute left in the extra session, and the Gators were unable to recover, as they suffered their first North Coast Athletic Conference loss of the season in a game that featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes.

The Gators sent the game into overtime thanks to a late second half rally.  Down four with 3:15 left in regulation, Allegheny responded with a 6-0 run, as four points from Josh Valentic, followed by an Evan Zabriski lay-up, put the hosts in front 64-62 with 1:46 left.  After Kenyon answered by scoring the next three points to take a one-point lead with 37 seconds left, Macomber's stepped to the line in place of Smith, who was forced from the game due to injury after being fouled on a shot attempt.  Macomber hit the first of two shots to tie it, and after a lengthy possession, Allegheny forced a Kenyon miss with one second left to send the game into the extra session.

The teams traded baskets on the first four possessions of overtime, before the Lords rattled off six unanswered points, taking advantage of a pair of costly missed free throws by Allegheny, to go in front 75-69 with 1:11 left.  Allegheny's Evan Schweitzer countered by hitting a long three from the right wing to cut the gap to three, and after a missed Kenyon free throw after the subsequent in-bounds play, the Gators got the ball back with five seconds left.  However, a last-second desperation three from in front of the Gator bench went long, allowing Kenyon to hold on for the win.

The Gators controlled play throughout much of a back-and-forth first half.  Zabriski scored five points, and Valentic and Smith two apiece, as Allegheny jumped out to a 10-5 lead five minutes into play.   After the Lords came back to tie it at 10-all, the Gators' Chris Koryak connected on a three-pointer to put the Gators back in front 13-10, and it was a lead they would hold on to for the next several minutes.

The game then became a battle of Smith against the Lords, as he scored on five consecutive possessions, only to be answered by a Kenyon basket each time.  A three-pointer from Zabriski, followed by a breakaway two-handed dunk from Andrew Sestina, finally gave the Gators some breathing room, pushing the lead back to five (32-27) with 3:15 left in the half.  However, Kenyon scored on each of its final four possessions of the opening stanza, using a pair of three-pointers to spur a 10-2 run and take a 37-34 halftime lead.

After Smith scored the first four points of the second half, the Gators received three-pointers from Macomber and Zabriski to regain a 44-41 lead with 16 minutes left.   The teams then continued to trade blows, with the Gator lead hovering between one and three points over the next eight minutes of play.

The Gators then went cold, while Kenyon scored on three straight possessions to jump back in front 54-53.  Valentic's second trey of the night temporarily gave Allegheny a 56-52 advantage with seven minutes left, but the Lords countered with a 9-4 run to take a 62-58 lead with 3:15 to go, setting up Allegheny's late-game rally that forced overtime.

Smith was one of three players to score in double-figures for the Gators (5-4, 2-1 NCAC), as Zabriski scored 19 points and Valentic 15.  Thanks to Smith's 10-for-10 night, the Gators finished with a 43 percent mark from the floor (28-for-64).  Kenyon held a 44-35 advantage in rebounding, despite Zabriski's team-leading nine boards. 

Cooper Handelsman led the way for Kenyon (3-4, 2-2 NCAC) with a game-high 24 points.  John Bray added 19 and Alexander Powell 11, while the Lords' Brien Comey led both sides with 11 rebounds.  

The Gators will now be idle for three weeks over Allegheny's semester break, and are scheduled to return to action on Tues. Dec. 30th, when they host Stevenson (Md.) in a 3 p.m. matinee at the David V. Wise Center.