CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – Allegheny saw its 2014-15 season end with a 69-60 loss at Wabash in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship tournament.

The Gators, who finished the season tied for fifth in the NCAC standings, close with an 11-15 overall record, while Wabash will take an 18-8 mark into Friday's conference semifinals.

Sophomore Evan Zabriski led the Gators, scoring 20 points and adding a team-leading 10 rebounds, while senior Josh Valentic and sophomore Conor Macomber each  added 11 points
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While Allegheny ended with a 26-24 edge in points in the paint, and scored 18 points off of 10 Wabash turnovers, the big difference in the game came on the boards, as the sizeable Little Giant front court out-rebounded the Gators 39-26 for the game.  Wabash also held a hefty edge in free throw shooting, going 14-for-19 for the game (including 10-for-15 in the second half), compared to a 5-for-6 showing from the stripe for the Gators.

After Allegheny spotted Wabash an early 5-2 lead, the Gators charged back with a 9-3 run, with seven points coming from Zabriski, to go in front 11-8 with 16:15 left in the half.

The Little Giants then regained control, embarking on a 14-3 run, aided by three offensive rebounds and a pair of three-pointers, to jump back on top 22-14 at the 13-minute mark.

The back-and-forth theme continued as the Gators began to chip away.  An Evan Schweitzer jumper, followed by a pair of Valentic free throws, trimmed the gap to 22-18, before a pair of Leslie Jamerson blocked shots led to a Zabriski layup that made it a two-point game.   On the ensuing possession, Gabe Seidman picked off a pass at midcourt, and fed Valentic on a nifty two-on-one fast break to tie the game at 22 with 8:04 left in the half.

The Gator offense then cooled, and Wabash gained the momentum heading into the intermission, as the Little Giants ended the half on an 11-3 run to take a 33-25 lead into the locker room.

Four points from Zabriski in the opening two minutes of the second half jumpstarted another Allegheny rally, as the visitors scored on seven of their first nine possessions of the frame, capped off with a Macomber three-pointer that tied the game at 41 with 12:43 left in regulation.

A three-pointer from Kyle Aiton put Wabash in front 49-45 at the midpoint of the half, and the teams would then go basket-for-basket over the next several minutes.   After another Aiton three, the Gators answered with trifectas from Valentic and Macomber to again make it a one-point game, 54-53, with eight minutes left.

Aiton's third three-pointer of the night pushed the score to 58-53, but Zabriski promptly answered to pull the Gators to within two with 5:51 to go.

Wabash attempted to pull away, eventually opening up a five-point lead, before a Valentic lay up at the two-minute mark made it 63-60.  After the Gator defense held on the next Wabash trip, a questionable offensive foul on the Gators on their ensuing possession negated their chance to pull any closer.  The visitors were held scoreless the rest of the way, while Wabash put the game away with five free throws over the final minute to advance to the NCAC semifinals.

Both teams posted nearly identical shooting lines, as the Gators went 24-for-55 from the field, and the Little Giants 23-for-54.  Wabash made nine three-pointers to Allegheny's seven, while the Little Giants also enjoyed the aforementioned sizeable advantage from the charity stripe.

Aiton led Wabash on the score sheet with 23 points, including a 7-for-7 showing from the foul line and a 4-for-8 mark from behind the arc.  Marcus Kammrath added 13 points, while Daniel Purvlicius posted an 11-point/13-rebound double-double.

Making their first appearance in the NCAC playoffs since the 2010-11 campaign, the Gators' 11 wins marked the most for the squad since 2009-10.  Tuesday's loss marked the final game in the careers of the Gator trio of Valentic, Seidman, and Jamerson, while nine players are slated to return for 2015-16.