GRANVILLE, Ohio – Two free throws from Josh Valentic with three seconds left capped off a furious Gator comeback, leading Allegheny to a 60-59 victory over Denison in the 2014-15 regular season finale.

Trailing by 14 with 8:40 left to play, the Gators (11-14, 8-10 NCAC) held the Big Red (13-12, 7-11 NCAC) without a field goal the rest of the way, ending the game on a 16-2 run to earn the come-from-behind win.

Valentic and Evan Zabriski each scored 18 points to pace the Gators, while teammate Chris Milon added 11 points, all in the second half.  While they were out-rebounded 42-30 on the afternoon, Milon led an Allegheny frontcourt that held a commanding 40-24 edge in points in the paint.  The Gator defense also came up large, forcing 19 Denison turnovers that led to 20 Allegheny points.

After Denison used a quick 8-0 run to go in front 58-44 with 8:40 left, the Gators began their late surge.  A conventional three-point play converted by Conor Macomber cut the gap to single digits, 58-49, with 5:17 remaining, A jumper from Evan Schweitzer, followed by a pair of Milon layups, made it 59-55, before Schweitzer hit a long three from the right wing to pull the Gators to within one, 59-58, with 1:58 left.

The teams traded scoreless possessions for the next 90 seconds.  After a Denison offensive foul, the Gators had two close looks under the hoop, but were unable to convert with 24 seconds left.  Forced to foul, Allegheny grabbed the rebound after a Big Red miss on the front end of a one-and-one with 17 seconds to go. 

With four seconds left, Valentic drew a foul after attempting to put up a jumper from the side of the key.  The senior then hit both attempts from the stripe, giving Allegheny its first lead, 60-59, since the 8-minute mark of the first half.  On their final drive down the court, the Big Red were unable to get off a clean shot, sealing the Allegheny victory.

Over the decisive final nine minutes, the Gator defense held Denison to an 0-for-8 mark from the field, while forcing four Big Red turnovers.

Off the opening tip, the Gators looked to take control early, as Zabriski scored nine points in the first seven minutes of play to put the hosts in front 16-6. 

Denison quickly caught fire, scoring on five of their next seven possessions to rattle off a 13-0 run and go up 19-16 with seven minutes left in the first half.  Baskets by Valentic and Zabriski trimmed the deficit to 22-20 with five minutes to go, before a pair of Big Red three-pointers spurred a 10-4 run and put the hosts in front 32-24 with 1:33 left.

Allegheny chipped away at the deficit heading into halftime, scoring the final six points of the half, with four from Zabriski and two from Seidman, to go into the locker room trailing 32-30.

The Big Red regained control in the opening minutes of the second half, beginning the frame on a 10-1 run to open up a 42-31 lead on a Darius White three-pointer with 16:30 left in regulation.

After Milon scored seven points in a two-minute span, capped off with a conventional three-point play, Valentic picked off a steal and went coast-to-coast with a layup to pull the Gators to within six, 50-44, with 10:42 to go. 

Denison again countered, with a pair of three-pointers punctuating an 8-0 run that made the score 58-44 with 8:40 left.  It was the last offensive highlight of the day for the Big Red, as Allegheny responded with their late-game charge to snap a five-game losing streak, and win their third straight over Denison.

The Big Red were led on the afternoon by Briggs King, who recorded a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.  David Meurer and Robby Weingart each added 11 points.

The Gators will return to action on Tuesday evening, when they will take to the road to open up quarterfinal play in the NCAC championship tournament.  The complete tournament field, including the Gators' first round opponent, will be officially announced by the conference office on Sunday evening.  It will mark Allegheny's first trip to the NCAC postseason since 2011.