MEADVILLE, Pa. – Three Gators scored in double figures, while Allegheny matched a season-high with 10 steals, but it wasn't enough, as visiting Kenyon pulled away over the final 15 minutes to top the Gators 79-61 in a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup in the David V. Wise Center.

The visiting Lords (8-11, 5-7 NCAC) shot 52 percent over the second half, while going a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line, to outscore the Gators 41-28 and break open what was a five-point game at the intermission.

Junior Evan Zabriski topped the Gators with 17 points, marking a third straight game in which he scored 15 or more points.  Classmate Conor Macomber added 15 points, including a 3-for-5 showing from behind the arc, while senior Evan Schweitzer scored 11. 

Tim Connolly scored a game-high 27 points, bolstered by a 10-for-11 showing at the foul line, to lead a Kenyon offense that shot 51 percent (27-for-53) for the game, totaling nine three-pointers and finishing 16-for-17 from the charity stripe.

The game was back-and-forth in the early stages, with the Gators holding a slim lead for the majority of the opening 11 minutes, during which Zabriski scored nine points.  Allegheny also picked up four steals in the first 11 minutes, but were unable to build a sizeable lead, as the Lords tied the game six times over the span.

After Andrew Sestina scored on a put-back with 9:24 left to put the Gators up 20-19, the Lords countered with a 12-0 run to open up a 31-20 lead with six minutes to go in the half.  The advantage would eventually swell to 13, 36-26, with 4:30 remaining, before the Gators began to chip away.

Billy Urso's second trey of the half, followed by a Macomber driving layup, cut the gap to 36-28 with 3:02 left.  The margin remained at eight points entering the closing seconds, before Macomber beat the shot clock – and the game clock – with a long three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 38-33 as the teams entered the locker room.
Over the opening 20 minutes of play, Allegheny held advantages in points in the paint (14-8), points off turnovers (7-2), and points off the bench (11-10).  The difference came at the foul line, as Kenyon sank nine of 10 charity tosses, while the Gators had just five attempts at the line, connecting on three.

Connolly hit a three-pointer for Kenyon on the opening possession of the second half to push its lead back to eight, before the Gators went to international waters to quickly close the gap, as Evan Schweitzer hit a pair of trifectas, and Macomber one, to cut the deficit to 45-42 with just over 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

Kenyon countered with five straight points in a 40-second span to increase its advantage to 50-42, but Schweitzer connected on a jumper and a free throw to pull the Gators back to within six, 50-44, at the 13-minute mark.  The two squads traded buckets over the next three minutes, before the Lords used a lengthy 20-10 run to go up 70-54 with 4:18 remaining.

A pair of free throws from Brandon Smith followed by a coast-to-coast layup by Zabriski pulled Allegheny to within 70-58 with 3:38 left, but Kenyon closed the game on a 9-3 run to seal the win.

Smith paced the Gators with eight rebounds, while Zabriski grabbed five caroms and picked off three steals.  Urso dished a team-leading four assists.

Kenyon's Connolly was joined in double-figures on the scoresheet by Alex Laub and Matt Shifrin, who each scored 10 points.  The Lords' Brien Comey grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Gators will now have a six-day layoff before opening up a two-day swing through the state of Indiana.  Allegheny is slated to play at DePauw on Friday, Feb. 5 beginning at 6 p.m., before taking on Wabash in a 3 p.m. Saturday matinee.