DELAWARE, Ohio – The Allegheny College women's basketball team saw a furious fourth-quarter rally fall short as a pair of free-throws with six seconds remaining lifted Ohio Wesleyan over the Gators, 76-73, in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) action this afternoon.
Senior forward
Emma Pellicano jumped into second points at Allegheny (12-11, 7-7 NCAC) with a 15-point performance. Pellicano has now scored 1,232 points in the blue and gold, surpassing three-time All-NCAC honoree Erin McQuillan (1991-95) on the all-time list.
The Gators shot 43.1 percent from the field and had two other players with double-digit points, but could only manage to draw seven attempts from the free-throw stripe. Although Ohio Wesleyan (6-17, 5-9 NCAC) shot a similar percentage from the field (41.2 percent) as the visitors, the Battling Bishops attempted nearly five times as many foul shots as went 27-of-34 (79.4 percent) from the chalk.
Pellicano and freshman guard
Delaney Arbore both claimed scoring honors for Allegheny. The senior added a team-leading seven rebounds and three assists to go along with her scoring output, while Arbore sank 3-of-6 attempts from international waters.
The Gators doubled up OWU in the paint, scoring 40 to the hosts' 20. Allegheny also held edges in bench points (28-3) and points off turnovers (30-21).
The point difference shifted between one and four points for the entire first quarter as Arbore's trifecta with 15 seconds left in the opening frame giving the Gators a 19-15 lead. Allegheny would maintain its advantage for half of the second quarter before a three-pointer from the Battling Bishops' Taylor Dickson sparked an 18-4 run and gave OWU a 43-32 edge into the break.
Senior guard
Rachel Vigliotti began a 10-2 stretch for the Gators halfway through the third quarter with a three-pointer that eventually brought the visitors within four at 54-50. However, OWU responded with six consecutive points to push its lead to 60-50 with 8:31 remaining in regulation.
Allegheny answered back with baskets from Arbore and fellow freshman
Olivia Barkley to make it 60-54. After the Battling Bishops replied with four straight points, senior guard Jessica Mrjdenovich split a pair of foul shots and Arbore sank a trifecta to pull the Gators within six once more.
Pellicano continued the Allegheny run with a putback to cut the deficit to four, but OWU stretched it to six after two free-throws. The senior forward then buried a three-pointer from the wing and sank another from the right side, pulling the Gators within one after the hosts split the pair of trifectas with a foul shot. Pellicano completed her impressive individual with an old-fashioned three-point play, burying a layup on the fastbreak plus the foul to give Allegheny a 69-67 lead with 2:36 left.
The Battling Bishops drew even on the next possession but buckets by Barkley and senior forward
Kaitlyn Fromknecht made it a two-possession game in favor of the Gators at 73-69. OWU's Hannah Fedorka responded with a three-point play and pulled down a rebound with 26 seconds remaining to set up a final possession for the hosts.
20 seconds later, that possession eventually turned into two attempts from the chalk, both of which were made by Megan Kuether to give the Battling Bishops a 74-73 lead. Dickson added to that advantage with two foul shots, setting the final after the Gators' tying three-point attempt ricocheted off the rim.
Fromknecht tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and two blocks for Allegheny. Kuether (23), Dickson (22), and Fedorka combined for 60 of OWU's 76 points.
Allegheny remains in line for a home game at the 2016 NCAC Tournament and can clinch that with a victory in one of its next two games. The Gators will look to accomplish that next Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. when it travels to Wooster.
