OBERLIN, Ohio - Allegheny saw its losing skid reach three games, as the Gators were defeated 79-56 to North Coast Athletic Conference foe Oberlin.

The Gator offense continued to struggle, as the team shot just 27 percent from the floor (15-for-56), including a 20 percent mark (4-for-20) on three-point field goals.  With the loss, Allegheny drops to 10-12 overall and 7-8 in the NCAC, while the Yeomen improved to 5-10 in the conference, and 9-12 overall.

Senior Josh Valentic led both sides on the scoresheet with 15 points, reaching a milestone in the process.  On a free throw with 10:18 left in the first half, Valentic recorded the 1,000th point of his four-year career, which includes three seasons in the Blue and Gold after transferring from Wheeling Jesuit following his freshman campaign.  

Valentic was one of two Gators to score in double figures, as junior Andrew Sestina posted a career-high 10 points, despite playing in foul trouble for the duration of the contest.  Sestina also grabbed five rebounds to tie Valentic for the team lead, but the Yeomen held a commanding 46-25 edge on the glass.

Unlike the Gators, Oberlin was red-hot on offense for the duration of the contest, shooting 59 percent from the field (32-for-54), while connecting for nine three-pointers on 19 attempts.  The hosts held a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint, while they also turned nine offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.

After Oberlin took a pair of four-point leads in the opening six minutes of play, the Gators countered, as a pair of free throws by Evan Zabriski tied the score at 10-all with 13:42 left in the first half, before a Valentic three-pointer put the visitors in front 15-12 at the 12-minute mark.  

The Yeomen charged back, using a quick 6-0 run to go in front 25-18 with just over seven minutes left to play, but the Gators would pull to within three after a Leslie Jamerson steal led to a Valentic layup that would cut the score to 25-22 with 2:59 remaining.

Oberlin then took control to close the first half, as the Yeomen scored on six straight possessions, with a trio of three-pointers, to embark on a 15-2 run and open up a 40-24 lead with 2:51 left in the half.   The margin would swell to 20, 45-25, at the one-minute mark, before the Gators scored the half's final four points, including a buzzer-beating layup by Valentic that made the score 45-29.

In the first half, the Yeomen sizzled to a 64 percent mark from the floor (18-for-28), including a 6-for-11 showing from behind the three-point line.  Conversely, the Gators, who managed just four field goals over the final 12 minutes of the half, shot 32 percent (9-for-28).

The Yeomen picked up right where they left off to open up the second half, beginning the frame on a 9-2 run to up their lead to 54-31 with 15:30 left to play.  The Gators gradually chipped away, cutting the gap to 56-38 after free throws from Sestina and Donte Wallette and a layup from Valentic at the 12-minute mark.  However, the Gators would again encounter a long cold spell, posting just six points - all on free throws - over the next seven minutes, as Oberlin opened up a 70-44 lead on their ninth three-pointer of the game with 5:37 to go.

Allegheny snapped the cold spell after a conventional three-point play from Sestina and a long three-pointer from Wallette closed the gap to 70-54 with 3:37 left, but it was as close as the Gators would get, as the hosts scored nine of the game's final 14 points to cruise to the win.

The second half statistics looked similar to the first, as Allegheny went just 6-for-28 from the field, and 1-for-12 from distance, compared to a 14-for-26 showing by the Yeomen.  The bulk of the Gator offense came from the foul line, as the squad went 14-for-20 on free throws over the final 20 minutes, and 22-for-31 for the game.  Sestina, who played the final 12 minutes with four fouls, posted all 10 of his points in the second half, highlighted by a 4-for-5 performance at the stripe.  

In all, five Gators scored six or more points, with Valentic and Sestina joining Wallette, Gabe Seidman, and Evan Schweitzer, who each scored six.  Seidman also led the team with three assists, while also recording two steals.

Oberlin had four players score in double figures, led by Jack Poyle's 13 points.  Randy Ollie paced the Yeomen on the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds, while Poyle corralled nine rebounds, narrowly missing the double-double.  

The Gators will now face a tough task as they look to snap their three-game losing skid, as they welcome NCAC leader Ohio Wesleyan to the David V. Wise Center on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.   The Gators' final home game of the regular season will kick off with the unveiling of Allegheny's new mascot prior to the tip.