ERIE, Pa. – The Gators were unable to complete a second half comeback, falling 77-64 to Penn State-Behrend in non-conference action in a matinee at the Junker Center.
 
Trailing by 11 points at halftime, and by as many as 15 midway through the second half, the Gators eventually cut the deficit to five with 4:30 left in regulation.  It was as close as they would get, however, as the Lions (3-0) used three-pointers and free throws to pull away down the stretch.
 
Allegheny (0-6) was led on the scoresheet by junior Evan Zabriski, who bucketed a game-high 23 points, while senior Chris Milon scored 16 points, and junior Conor Macomber nine.  
 
Behrend came out of the gates on fire, opening the game on a 10-0 run before eventually stretching its lead to 17-5 just five minutes into play.
 
After a Lion bucket with 11:23 left made it 19-9, the Gator defense claped down, holding the hosts without a field goal over the next six minutes of play, and during the span, the Gators chipped away at the double-digit deficit.  A pair of free throws from Evan Schweitzer cut the gap to 19-11 with 11:10 remaining, before a Zabriski jumper pulled the Gators to within six, 19-13, with just under eight minutes left.
 
A Brandon Smith jumper, sandwiched between five points from Zabriski, cut the Behrend lead to five, 25-20, with 3:15 left, but Behrend would score the final four points of the half to take a 29-20 advantage into the locker room.

Over the defensively-themed first half, the two squads combined for just 17 field goals, as Behrend shot 10-for-35 from the field, and the Gators 7-for-23.  Neither team found much success from long range in the opening 20 minutes, but the nine-point Lion lead was thanks to their 5-for-17 mark from behind the arc, compared to the Gators' 1-for-10 showing from distance.
 
The Gators opened the second half in style, getting a three-pointer from Macomber and a layup by Schweitzer in the opening 90 seconds to pull to within 31-25.  Behrend then took over, countering with a 14-4 run over the next five minutes to increase its lead to 45-29 at the 14-minute mark.
 
The game then followed a similar script to the one in the first half, as the Gator defense clamped down, while its offense heated up, to cut into the deficit.
 
Four straight points from Zabriski, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play by Milon, pulled the Gators to within 49-39 with 11:40 left. After a Zabriski bucket in the paint made it 51-43 at the nine-minute mark, Milon connected on a pair of driving layups to cap off an 18-7 run and bring the Gators to within five, 52-47, with 5:36 remaining.
 
The teams would trade buckets over the next two minutes, with the Gators receiving a three-pointer by freshman Billy Urso and a driving layup by classmate Antonio Frisina to keep it a five-point game with 4:26 left, but the Lions would then counter with a quick 8-0 run, using a pair of three-pointers, to open up a 65-52 advantage with 2:30 left.
 
A traditional three-point play from Zabriski with 90 seconds left brought the Gators back to within single-digits, 67-58, but they could get no closer, as the Lions used a 6-for-7 showing from the foul line over the final minute of play to ice the victory.
 
The Gators turned in their best rebounding performance of the season, grabbing 37 boards to the Lions' 33, with Milon leading his side with eight boards, and Zabriski and Urso pulling in six apiece.  Allegheny also shot a season-high 87 percent from the foul line, connecting on 13 of 15 attempts, paced by Milon's 6-for-6 showing.  
 
The Lions saw five players score in double figures, led by 17 points from Zane Hackett and 16 from Justin Gorny.  Hackett added 11 rebounds for the double-double, while Gorny connected on four three-pointers.
 
Allegheny will now return to action on Wed. Dec. 2, opening North Coast Athletic Conference action with an 8 p.m. contest against Hiram at the David V. Wise Center.