MEADVILLE, Pa. – Despite holding a 10-point halftime lead, Allegheny was unable to contain the Wittenberg Tigers in the second half, falling, 70-59, in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) bout on Saturday at the David V. Wise Center.

Junior Jessica Mrdjenovich led the Gators with 16 points, shooting 4-of-10 from the field while taking on a pair of assists.  Senior Marina Scarantino added 12 points, the second highest total on the team, as juniors Rachel Vigliotti, Emma Pellicano and Kaitlyn Fromknecht tacked on eight points each.  Pellicano added a team-high eight boards.

Despite being out-rebounded, 43-31, the Gators scored 18 points in the paint, adding 18 points off of 21 Wittenberg turnovers.  However, Wittenberg was able to split the regular season series due in major part to a second-half eruption from three-point range, as the Tigers shot 5-of-8 in the second after only converting 3-of-10 three-pointers in the first half.  Wittenberg also tacked on 28 points off of 20 Allegheny turnovers.

The two squads picked up where they left off in January, trading buckets and leads throughout most of the first half.  With Allegheny trailing, 19-14 with 13:40 remaining in the half, the Blue and Gold used a 10-4 run to take their first lead since the 15:50 mark after a Hoffman free-throw and Scarantino jumper made the score 26-23 with 8:10 remaining in the half.  The pace of the game quickened, pushed by the fast transition pace of both the Gators and Tigers, but the Gators were able to take command of the half, scoring on back-to-back turnovers from Wittenberg to take a 33-27 lead with 5:30 left.

Allegheny took a 41-31 lead into halftime, hitting a pair of three-pointers within the final minute of the half, one from Mrdjenovich followed by a bucket from range by Scarantino with 17 seconds remaining in the frame.  The Gators buried six three-pointers in the first half while adding a 15-of-30 performance from the field, shaking off a 19-12 rebounding deficit to take the 10-point advantage into the break.

Wittenberg turned the tables on the Gators in the second half, slowly trimming away at the Gator lead until a 15-5 run put the Tigers up, 47-46, with 12:03 remaining in the game.  The Tiger defense forced Allegheny turnovers, allowing Wittenberg to take a 57-49 lead with eight minutes left.

Down, 59-51, a three-pointer from the baseline by Scarantino jolted the Gator comeback.  Fromknecht hit back-to-back jumpers to further slice into the Wittenberg lead as the Gators only trailed by four with 4:22 left, but the Wittenberg defense locked down on the Blue and Gold, holding the Gators to only one point over the remainder of the contest while utilizing an 8-1 run to clinch the win.

Allegheny will next travel to Oberlin for a mid-week clash set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11 before returning to the David V. Wise Center on Saturday, February 14th for a 1 p.m. matchup against Ohio Wesleyan.  Prior to Saturday's contest, Allegheny will honor seniors Hoffman and Scarantino.