GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Gators used a fast start and a stifling defense to defeat Grove City 63-59 in the 2016-17 season-opener at the Grove City Arena.

Freshman Jordan Rawls had a memorable debut for the Gators (1-0), leading both sides with 19 points,  while senior Evan Zabriski added 15.  Defensively, the Gators limited the Wolverines (0-1) to just 29 percent from the field (18-for-61), including a 2-for-14 mark from behind the arc.

Led by Zabriski, the Gators got off to a strong start, as the two-time reigning all-conference honoree scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of play to push the Gators out to a 21-6 lead.  Rawls added six points and Jamison Nee five over the span, while the Allegheny defense held the Wolverines to just three field goals on their first 14 attempts.

The Wolverines took advantage of Gator foul trouble to counter with a 9-0 run, using seven free throws over a four-minute span to cut the deficit to 21-15 with just over six minutes remaining in the half.

A pair of Zabriski freebies halted the Wolverine run with 4:15 left, before Sean Dougherty scored on a drive in the paint to up the Gator advantage to 25-17.  The Grove City defense would then buckle down over the final minutes of the half, as the Gators were limited to just one more field goal over the final 3:40, and were forced to settle for a 27-22 lead entering the locker room.

After shooting 6-for-11 from the field in the first 10 minutes of play, the Gators cooled down considerably, as Grove City limited the visitors to just a 3-for-12 mark over the final stages of the half.  The Allegheny defense was just as stifling, limiting the Wolverines to just six field goals in 32 first half attempts (18 percent), including an 0-for-8 mark from behind the three-point arc.

The pace picked up in the opening minutes of the second half, with the teams trading baskets for the first five minutes, beginning with an emphatic put-back slam dunk by the Gators' Zach Shedd.  Ninety seconds later, Rawls connected on a fast break lay up, before Zack Pateras and Zabriski connected on three-pointers on consecutive possessions. 

The Wolverines countered with a surge of their own, embarking on a 6-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 38-37,with 13:40 left.  It was short-lived, as Pateras buried a corner three and Dougherty a lay up in the paint to push the Gator advantage to four, 42-38, with 12:38 left to play.  Forty seconds later, Joe Siegle connected on a corner trey to increase the lead to seven.

The back-and-forth theme continued, with Grove City pulling ahead 46-45 on a pair of free throws, before Rawls connected on a baseline jumper and then a driving layup to push the Gators back in front 49-46 with 6:40 remaining.

As was the case in the latter stages of the first half, the Wolverines took advantage of Allegheny fouls to pull even at 50, before Frisina ignited a quick 7-0 run.  With 5:02 left, the Meadville native buried a three-pointer, before blocking a shot on the ensuing trip that resulted in a Rawls layup.  Frisina then picked off a steal, and fed Rawls for a conventional three-point play to make it 57-50 with 4:05 left.

Aided by strong foul shooting, the Wolverines refused to go away, using an offensive put-back and a pair of free throws pull to within 59-57, but Rawls countered with yet another bucket in the paint to push the Gator lead back up to four with 65 seconds left.

Grove City went 1-for-2 from the line on the ensuing trip to cut the score to 61-58, and both teams would then trade empty possessions, before the Wolverines took over with 30 seconds left.  With the clock winding down, the Wolverines' Cory Huff drew a foul underneath, making one of two to make the score 61-59.    The Gators quickly broke the press, with Dougherty catching a home-run ball for a wide-open layup to make it 63-59 with five seconds left.   Grove City quickly moved up court after the inbounds to draw a foul on a three-point attempt with 1.5 ticks remaining.  However, all three shots were off the mark, and the Gators escaped with the close victory.

In all, nine different players scored for Allegheny, with Nee, Pateras, and Dougherty each bucketing six points in their Gator debuts.  Allegheny also owned a 47-40 edge on the glass, led by nine boards apiece from Zabriski and Rawls, and seven from Brendan O'Toole.  Nee dished a game-high seven assists.

Cory Huff led a trio of Wolverines in double figures with 12 points, while Nate Peters added 11 and Andrew Beckman 10.

The Gators will now return to action on Friday, Nov. 18, as they host SUNY New Paltz at 7 p.m. on the opening night of the annual Greg Richards '08 Memorial Classic at the David V. Wise Center.