MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Gators put together a strong team effort, shaking off an early deficit en route to a 70-62 win over Wooster in the squad's home finale on Wednesday evening at the David V. Wise Center.

Senior Marina Scarantino led the Gators with a team-high 16 points, three assists and two steals, as junior Jessica Mrdjenovich picked up 15 points as classmates Rachel Vigliotti and Emma Pellicano tacked on nine each.  Allegheny scored 32 points in the paint and 23 points off of 17 Wooster turnovers, assisted by a team-high four steals by Vigliotti, who also scored a team-high eight assists, tying a career-high. 

The Gators, who snap a four-game losing streak with Wednesday's victory, held Wooster to 39.4 percent shooting from the field, picking up their stride in the second half, shooting 45.8 percent from the floor while knocking down four three-pointers, a team-high three of which came from Scarantino.

The Fighting Scots took advantage of Allegheny's early shooting woes from three-point range to pick up a 9-0 lead over the Blue and Gold.  The Gators, however, started to gain momentum, unleashing an 11-2 run that tied the contest, capped by a traditional three-point play from Scarantino.  With 6:12 remaining in the half and Allegheny trailing by two points, Vigliotti found Mrdjenovich on a cross-court pass, as the junior rewarded her classmate with a long three-pointer to give Allegheny its first lead of the contest, 22-21. 

Mrdjenovich's bucket sparked an 8-0 run for the squad that gave Allegheny a 27-21 lead with 5:19 remaining.  Wooster fought to keep the Allegheny lead to within single digits, hitting a shot with 27 seconds left to cut the Gator lead to five points.  A Mrdjenovich free-throw on the final possession of the opening stanza would send Allegheny to halftime with a 35-29 advantage.  The Gators struggled from distance, shooting 3-of-13 from beyond the arc, but made up for their struggles with 12 points off of 13 Wooster turnovers.

Another three-pointer by Mrdjenovich improved the Allegheny advantage to double-digits, 49-38, with 14:11 left in the second half, as a fastbreak layup gave the Gators a game-high, 13-point lead with 12:36 remaining.  The Fighting Scots began to slice into the Allegheny lead, reducing the Gator advantage to six points with a 9-2 run, but the Gators were able to keep Wooster away from the lead, reinstalling a 10-point lead after a three-pointer by Scarantino.

After a Wooster layup brought the Fighting Scots to within five points, Allegheny was able to clinch the win down the stretch, shooting 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to hold off Wooster, including five free throws from Vigliotti.

Assured of their spot in the 2015 NCAC Tournament, Allegheny will close the season at Denison on Saturday, February 21^st at 1 p.m., then will hit the road for a NCAC Quarterfinal contest, the opponent and time of which will be determined.