MEADVILLE, Pa. – Denison sophomore Jordan Holmes scored 34 points while nabbing 20 rebounds, helping the Big Red thwart an electric second half from the Allegheny women's basketball squad and end the Gators' home winning streak, 68-65, on Saturday at the David V. Wise Center.

Junior Emma Pellicano led the Gators in scoring, hitting eight shots from the field, including a pair of buckets from range, to finish with 19 points, adding five rebounds.  Senior Kendall Hoffman had an impressive outing, finishing with 17 points and a team-high seven boards, adding a team-high four blocks and three steals.  Junior Jessica Mrdjenovich was the third Gator in double figures, finishing with 11 points.

The Gators had four members of the Blue and Gold finished with five or more rebounds.  Junior Ifeyinwa Uwazie and sophomore Meaghan Wilby picked up five rebounds each.  Allegheny started the 2014-15 home slate with a 4-0 mark at home, but Saturday's setback to Denison sends the Gators to 4-3 NCAC record alongside an 11-5 overall mark.

Denison led by 11 points with 5:57 remaining in the second half, but a second half push from the Gators, led by 13 second half points from Pellicano, made the contest into a nail biter heading into the waning moments.

In the opening portion of the first half, the two squads played to a virtual stalemate, as the first 11 minutes of the contest featured five ties and a pair of lead changes.  Denison turned a 19-18 lead into a 31-20 advantage with a 12-2 run over 3:13 of game-time, earning the first double-digit lead for either team in the process.  Allegheny responded with a run of its own, cutting the lead to six after a jumper by Mrdjenovich and a three-pointer by Pellicano on back-to-back possessions.

Allegheny snagged momentum heading into the half, closing the half on a 6-to-2 run over the final 3:36, as Denison was able to score the final basket of the half to pick up a 35-31 halftime advantage.

Pellicano sparked Allegheny's second-half opening run with a three-pointer 27 seconds into the latter frame, as a layup by Hoffman put Allegheny ahead for the first time since the 18:00 mark of the first half.  A layup by Pellicano with 16:27 left in the second half put the Blue and Gold up 42-39, but Denison struck back with a 13-to-4 run to go up six with 11:43 left.

With 2:29 remaining, a layup by Pellicano put the Gators ahead, 65-62, but it was the final offense mounted by the Gators, as Denison would take a 68-65 lead with 43 seconds remaining. 

Allegheny had opportunities down the stretch, as Denison missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the potential game tying three-pointer by Mrdjenovich fell short.  Allegheny had another opportunity to cash in the game tying bucket with 0.3 seconds on the clock, but Pellicano's attempt at a conventional three-point play bounced off the back iron and ended the Gators' hopes.

The Gators will look to rebound on Wednesday, Jan. 21 on the road against Ohio, returning home for a 1 p.m. tilt against Oberlin on Jan. 24.