GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Gators suffered their first defeat of the 2016-17 season, falling 71-59 in non-conference action at Thiel College.
 
The host Tomcats (4-0) broke open a 14-all tie with a 20-4 run late in the first half, and held off a late second half Allegheny (3-1) comeback to win their fourth straight.
 
A pair of freshmen led Allegheny on the scoresheet, as Jordan Rawls tallied 12 points and Jamison Nee 10.  Both squads shot 38 percent from the field, but the Tomcats benefited from a commanding 47-32 rebounding edge that helped lead to 16 second-chance points.
 
The Gators got off to a strong start, as five points from Conor Macomber, and a long three from Nee, gave the visitors an early 8-3 lead three minutes into play.
 
Thiel chipped way at the deficit over the next six minutes, and eventually pulled in front 14-12 with 10:53 left in the half.  The Gators' Zach Shedd tied it up with a lay up 40 seconds later, but from there, Thiel took control.
 
Over the next seven minutes, the Tomcats out-scored the Gators 20-5, while forcing five Allegheny turnovers and holding the visitors to just one field goal, to take a commanding 34-19 lead with just over four minutes left in the half.   Nee temporarily halted the Thiel surge with four points in a 40-second span, sending the Gators into the locker room trailing 35-23.
 
After the hot start, the Gators cooled considerably, finishing the first half with just seven field goals on 23 attempts.  Conversely, the Tomcats went 14-for-37 from the field, scoring 14 points off of 11 Gator turnovers and out-scoring Allegheny 22-6 in the paint. 
 
Allegheny regrouped after halftime to quickly cut the deficit into single digits, as Nee and Rawls each scored four points in the first two minutes to pull the Gators to within 39-31 with 17:01 left to play.
 
Eight minutes later, a Liam Wilby three-pointer sparked a 9-2 Allegheny run, which also included buckets by Rawls and Sean Dougherty and was capped off by a Wilby lay up, to pull the Gators to trim the gap to six, 56-50, with nine minutes to go.
 
The Tomcats countered by again increasing their lead to 11, 63-52, with 6:13 left, but the Gators went to the long ball to pull back to within six, as threes from Rawls and Joe Siegle made the score 64-58 with 4:08 remaining.
 
The Siegle long ball proved to be the Gators' final field goal of the evening, however, as Thiel pulled away for a final time with a pair of field goals and three free throws over the final 120 seconds to remain unbeaten.
 
Urso added eight points for the Gators, while Wilby chipped in with seven points, going 3-for-5 from the field, while also leading his team with four assists.
 
Clandell Cetoute led the way for the Tomcats, posting an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, while also blocking a game-best five shots.  Tyreik Burton also scored 18 points, while Avril Campbell finished with nine points and 11 boards.
 
The Gators will now enter the brief holiday break, before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 26, when they welcome Penn State-Behrend to the Wise Center for a  3 p.m. matinee.