MEADVILLE, Pa. - Allegheny grinded out a 66-63 victory over Earlham to close out the 2016 Greg Richards '08 Memorial Classic at the David V. Wise Center.

Offensively, five different Gators scored at least eight points, while the hosts went a solid 22-for-28 from the foul line.  The Allegheny defense was just as strong, forcing 16 Earlham turnovers, and limiting the Quakers to just a 31 percent mark (18-for-57) from the field.

Senior Evan Zabriski scored a game-high 18 points, while freshman Zach Shedd turned in his first career double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards.  Shedd, who also posted a team-leading four blocks, connected on four of five shots from the field, while going 4-for-6 from the charity stripe, hitting a pair of freebies in the final seconds that iced the three-point win.

Behind a quartet of freshmen, the Gators got off to a hot start to open the first half.  Zack Pateras and Jamison Nee each hit three-pointers, while Shedd and Jordan Rawls connected on buckets in the paint, to push Allegheny in front 10-4 just 3:30 into play.  The Quakers went to the long ball to answer right back, using a trio of three-pointers in a 90-second span to jump ahead 13-10 at the 14-minute mark.

With just over 12 minutes left, the Gators received two free throws apiece from Zabriski and Antonio Frisina to re-gain a 19-15 lead, and would stay in front for the duration of the half.  Another trey from Nee and a lay-in from Shedd gave the Gators a 24-17 advantage with 8:28 left, and the hosts looked primed to pull away after a second three-pointer from Pateras and a trio of Conor Macomber free throws made the score 34-22 with just inside four minutes remaining in the half.

Earlham refused to go away, using a pair of jumpers and four free throws to close the half on a 10-5 run and cut the gap to 39-32 at the break.

Over the opening 20 minutes of play, both squads connected on 10 field goals and five three-pointers, but the Gators maintained the seven-point lead thanks to a 14-for-16 mark at the foul line, compared to the Quakers' 7-for-14 showing from the stripe.

The visitors kept the momentum to open up the second half, outscoring the Gators 7-3 in the first three minutes to whittle the deficit to three, 42-39.  The Gators quickly regained control, with a driving Frisina lay-up followed by a pair of Zabriski three-pointers to push the advantage back into double figures, 50-39, with just over 15 minutes left in regulation.

Allegheny's lead would hover between seven and 11 points entering the final eight minutes of play, before the Quakers took advantage of a lengthy Gator cold spell.  After a Shedd bucket put Allegheny up 60-49 with 8:11 left, the Gators were held without a point for the next 5:40, while Earlham scored 11 straight points over the span to tie the game at 60 with 2:35 to go.

A pair of Shedd free throws put the Gators back up 62-60 at the 2:30 mark, and after trading scoreless possessions, the Quakers would tally three free throws in a 50-second span to go up 63-62 with 40 seconds remaining.  

The Quaker lead was short-lived, as Macomber quickly answered with a driving lay up through traffic with 18 seconds left, making the score 64-63.  On Earlham's final possession with time running down, Shedd intercepted a pass in the paint with two seconds left.  Immediately fouled, the rookie calmly sunk the two free throws to seal the three-point victory, as a last-second desperation heave by Earlham was off the mark.

Both teams finished with remarkably similar stat lines in the close contest, as the Gators and Quakers each tallied 18 field goals and eight three-pointers, while Allegheny held a slim 44-43 edge in rebounding.  As was the case in the first half, the big difference came from the foul line, with Allegheny going 22-for-28, compared to Earlham's 18-for-30 mark.

While Zabriski and Shedd each reached double figures in the scoresheet, Pateras chipped in with nine points, going 3-for-5 from behind the arc.  Macomber and Nee each added eight markers, while Nee and Frisina each tied for the team lead in assists (3) and steals (2).

Blake Bonin led three Quakers in double figures with 12 points, while Thomas Sanborn scored 11, and Darrell Hutchsion 10.  Bonin and Nick Sands each had five assists, while Sanborn had a team-best six rebounds.

The Gators will now look to improve to 4-0 when they make the short trek south to Greenville, Pa. and Thiel College for a 7 p.m. tilt on Monday, Nov. 21.