MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Gator women's basketball squad saw a late lead slip away, as a layup by Ohio Wesleyan's Taylor Dickson capped a late rally to push the Battling Bishops past the Gators, 58-56, in an emotional back-and-forth, physical contest on Saturday at the David V. Wise Center.

Junior Emma Pellicano scored a team-high 15 points, shooting 6-of-14 from the field while adding a block, steal and assist.  Classmate Rachel Vigliotti had a strong game for the Blue and Gold, posting a double-double with 10 points, 11 boards and five steals.  Senior Marina Scarantino, who was honored alongside fellow fourth year Kendall Hoffman prior to the contest, logged 10 points and four steals.  Hoffman added a team-leading five assists.

Allegheny led by eight points with just over five minutes remaining, but a 9-1, game-closing run by Ohio Wesleyan stunned the Gators in a very evenly-matched game.  Both teams scored 32 points in the paint, as the Gators forced 20 turnovers while turning the ball over 19 times while Ohio Wesleyan earned a narrow, 42-37 advantage in rebounds.

The two squads combined for 10 lead changes and five ties in a low-scoring first half, as the defensive intensity by both teams forced turnovers and limited quality changes.  Vigliotti ripped down a rebound with 5:43 remaining, putting the Gators on top, 19-18 with a fastbreak layup, but a 5-0 run by Ohio Wesleyan put the Bishops up, 23-19, with five minutes remaining.  Allegheny would go on an 8-4 run to end the half, capped by a layup from junior Ifeyinwa Uwazie with 1:27 left on the clock to enter the break trailing, 28-27.

Pellicano put the Gators on top 16 seconds into the second half with a layup, as jumpers by Vigliotti and a free-throw by Pellicano gave the home team a 32-28 lead early in the second stanza.  The Gators started to heat up from range, as Vigliotti buried a three-pointer followed by a layup by Uwazie to give the team a 37-30 lead with 17:43 on the clock.

A 7-0 run by Ohio Wesleyan tied the game with 12:47 left, but the Gators answered right back with a seven-point run of their own, as the squad was able to eventually build an eight-point lead with 8:01 remaining after a bucket from range by Mrdjenovich. 

Pellicano skied in for a layup with 5:42 remaining to give Allegheny a 55-47 lead, but Ohio Wesleyan began the comeback that culminated with the game-winning bucket by Dickson, holding Allegheny without a shot over the final 18 seconds to earn the win.

Allegheny will look to rebound on Wednesday night against Wooster, as the Gators will welcome the Fighting Scots to the David V. Wise Center for a 7:30 p.m. contest.  The game against Wooster will be the team's annual Play4Kay game, the proceeds of which will go to the Kay Yow Fund, which raises money towards cancer research.