MEADVILLE, Pa. – Four Allegheny College women's basketball players were in double-figures for points, but the balance in scoring wasn't enough to top Kenyon College this afternoon as the Gators fell to the Ladies, 61-57, in the program's ninth-annual Play 4Kay game.
Despite the aforementioned scoring balance, Allegheny (10-9, 5-5 NCAC) struggled from the field, shooting just 25.4 percent (16-63). The Gators, however, were nearly automatic from the chalk as they sank 20-of-24 attempts (83.3%).
Senior forward
Emma Pellicano and freshman guard
Candaisy Crawford tied for team-high scoring honors with 12 points each. Fourth-year guard
Rachel Vigliotti added 11 points, five assists, and four steals, while classmate
Ifeyinwa Uwazie tallied 10 points, nine rebounds, and six steals.
Kenyon (14-6, 8-3 NCAC) was more efficient from the field as it made field goals at a 40.3 percent (25-62) rate. The Ladies struggled from the foul line, however, making just 6-of-15 freebies from the charity stripe.
Pellicano opened the game with three consecutive baskets to put the hosts out front, 6-0. Uwazie followed Pellicano's last bucket with one of her own to make it 8-0, forcing Kenyon to burn a timeout. The break seemed to work as the Ladies went on a brief 6-0 run of their own, before two Uwazie free-throws put an end to that. Charlotte Bussema scored on back-to-back possessions to tie at 10-all, but a Vigliotti trifecta gave the Gators back the lead. However, Kenyon closed the quarter with another 6-0 run to take a 16-13 advantage into the second frame.
The Ladies pushed their lead as high as eight in the second 10 minutes when a Hannah O'Day layup made it 29-21 with 2:40 remaining in the half. Allegheny answered with a 5-0 run by Vigliotti, Uwazie, and Crawford, but Kenyon made a pair of free-throws with 0.9 seconds on the clock to make it 31-26 at halftime.
Freshman guard
Delaney Arbore canned a three-pointer to begin the second half, pulling the Gators within two, but it was met with a trifecta by Bailey Dominguez on the next possession. The two teams traded the next 13 points before a layup from Ifeoma Archimalo and another Dominguez three gave the Ladies their largest lead of the game at 45-36. However, Allegheny had another answer for Kenyon as it closed the quarter by scoring the last seven points to make it a two-point deficit.
Vigliotti's put-back from an Uwazie misfire tied the contest at 45-45 just 15 seconds into the final stanza, but the Ladies responded with a quick five-point run to regain the lead. Freshman forward
Emily Smith answered that with a three-pointer and Crawford cut into the paint for a layup after a Kenyon basket. Dominguez made it 55-50 with another trifecta and that advantage grew to seven with 1:46 remaining following a Sidney Cera jumper.
The Gators fought back starting with a pair of Crawford free-throws with 1:16 left in regulation. The Ladies could only convert one foul shot on the other end, setting the stage for Crawford to bury a shot from international waters and pull the hosts within three at 60-57. Kenyon again split a pair of free-throws with 16 seconds remaining, but that score became the final after Allegheny couldn't convert on the next possession.
The Ladies were successful in the paint, outscoring the Gators, 34-22, while holding a 17-4 edge in second chance points over the hosts. Allegheny scored 26 points off turnovers to Kenyon's 14 thanks in part to a 17-6 difference in steals.
Allegheny hits the road for a pair of North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contests next weekend, starting with a tilt at DePauw at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5.
