OBERLIN, Ohio - After coming back from a 15-point first half deficit to take the lead in the opening minutes of the second stanza, the Gator offense went cold, allowing Oberlin to pull away for a 68-53 North Coast Athletic Conference victory.

Oberlin (7-6, 3-4 NCAC) limited Allegheny (2-12, 2-5 NCAC) to just 20 points on eight second half field goals, and put the game away with a lengthy 18-0 run midway through the second stanza. Allegheny was also hampered by 20 turnovers that led to 24 Oberlin points, while the Gators attempted just four free throws on the evening compared to 20 by the Yeomen. 

Junior Evan Zabriski was the lone Gator to score in double figures, netting 10 points, while senior Andrew Sestina added nine, and classmate Chris Milon eight. Zabriski led his side with six rebounds, while senior Evan Schweitzer tallied a team-best three assists.

The Yeomen looked to take charge early on, firing on all cylinders to take a 17-2 lead seven minutes into play. The tide would quickly change, however, as the Gators battled back to quickly whittle their deficit into single digits.

Six points from Milon in a 90-second span, including a thunderous two-handed dunk, cut the deficit to 19-8, before the Gators connected on four three-pointers over two minutes, with two from Zabriski and one apiece from Conor Macomber and Billy Urso, to pull to within five, 25-20.  Sestina then came off the bench to score on three straight trips, capped off with a long three pointer, to trim the gap to 32-29 at the five-minute mark.  After a Macomber jumper from just inside the arc, Sestina scored his fourth field goal in five minutes on a jump shot from 15 feet to bring the Gators to within one, 34-33, with 1:41 left, and cap off a 31-14 Gator run.  The Yeomen would score on their final possession of the half to take a three-point lead into the intermission.

After the sluggish start, the Gators recovered in a big way, ending the half with a 59 percent mark from the field (13-for-22), including a 5-for-10 showing from behind the arc.

The Gators picked up right where they left off to open the second half, as Urso and Schweitzer connected on three-pointers over the first two minutes to give their team its first lead of the night, 39-36, with 18 minutes left to play.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Yeomen countered with their decisive run, scoring 18 unanswered points over the next eight minutes of play to jump ahead 54-39 with 9:58 left in regulation.  The Gators would trade basket for basket with the Yeomen down the stretch, but the 15-point deficit proved too much to overcome, as Oberlin handed Allegheny its sixth straight loss.

After scorching the nets for much of the first half, the Gators shot just 28 percent (8-for-28) over the second half, compared to Oberlin's 52 percent showing (11-for-21).  The Yeomen also went 6-for-9 from the foul line in the second half, while the Gators misfired on their lone attempt from the charity stripe.  

Oberlin had four players score in double figures, led by 16 points from Eli Silverman-Lloyd.  Nathan Cohen added 13 points and Randy Ollie 12, to go with a game-best nine rebounds.  

Allegheny will continue their three-game road swing on Sat. Jan. 16, when they travel to Granville, Ohio to take on NCAC rival Denison beginning at 3 p.m.