MEADVILLE, Pa. - Conor Macomber's three-pointer with 15 seconds left capped off a frantic Allegheny rally, as the Gators sent their seniors off in style with a 67-63 victory over North Coast Athletic Conference foe Denison in front of a spirited Wise Center crowd.

Trailing by as many as 13 points with under seven minutes remaining, Macomber's trey from the right wing capped off an 18-3 Gator run and gave them their first lead since the opening moments of the first half. Evan Schweitzer closed out the victory with a pair of free throws in the final seconds to ensure that the Gators would end the 2015-16 campaign on a high note.

Playing in his final game in the Blue and Gold, senior Brandon Smith scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Gators, while he added a team-best 10 rebounds. Smith connected on nine of 14 shots from the field, while he added two blocks in his fourth career double-double.

Smith was one of three Gators to score in double digits, as Macomber and Evan Zabriski each added 11 points.

The Gators, who out-scored the Big Red 40-33 in the second half, turned in one of their top defensive efforts of the season, limiting Denison to just 34 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range, while forcing 13 turnovers.

Denison looked to break open a three-point halftime lead in the opening stages of the second frame, putting together a 17-6 in the first six minutes of the half, on the strength of four three-pointers, to stretch out to a 47-36 lead with 14 minutes left in regulation.

The Gators would fight back to close the deficit into single digits on a conventional three-point play from Brandon Smith that made it 52-41 with 9:34 to go, but three more Denison trifectas pushed the Big Red advantage back to 60-47 with 6:53 remaining. After a Smith layup and a pair of Zabriski foul shots, the Big Red's Darius White hit his fifth trey of the day to make the score 63-51 with 5:52 left. It would be the final points of the day for the visitors, however, as the Gators used a spirited performance on both sides of the basketball to mount the comeback.

A reverse layup in traffic by Chris Koryak made the score 63-53, before the Gators' Antonio Frisina blocked a Denison three-point attempt on the left wing. Smith picked up the carom, and sent a long stretch pass ahead to Zabriski. The junior outraced a pair of Denison defenders, and threw down a two-handed slam that ignited the crowd, and closed the gap to 63-55 with 4:53 to go.

The Big Red came up empty on three straight possessions, and on the third, Frisina's second block in a matter of minutes led to a three-pointer by teammate Evan Schweitzer with three minutes left to make the score 63-58, with the five-point deficit the closest for the Gators since the opening possession of the second half.

Denison promptly gave the ball back to the Gators with an offensive foul on the ensuing trip, before Frisina connected on a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game with 2:11 remaining. The teams traded scoreless possessions over the next 60 seconds, before Frisina scored on a layup at the one-minute mark to bring the Gators back to within one, 63-62.

Denison then called time out, before taking the shot clock down into single digits, but missed on a mid-range jumper, and Smith pulled down his 10th rebound of the day with 31 seconds left.

Six seconds into the possession, Schweitzer found a cutting Macomber at the top of the key, and the junior sank the fateful three-pointer from the right wing to put the Gators back in front, 65-63. The Gator defense then came up with yet another big play, as Schweitzer made a leaping interception of a Denison pass with five seconds left. He was promptly fouled, and then calmly sunk the two charity tosses to seal the victory.

After a pregame ceremony honoring the team's six seniors, Allegheny opened the game in fine fashion. Smith scored on a hook shot on the game's first possession, before Zabriski and Macomber each connected on three-pointers to put the Gators up 8-0 just 90 seconds into play.

The momentum was short-lived, as Denison countered with 13 unanswered points over the next six minutes to take a 13-8 lead. Layups by Andrew Sestina and Donte Wallette quickly cut the gap to one, but the Big Red used a quick 8-0 run to go up 21-12 with just inside eight minutes left in the half.

The visitors' lead eventually swelled to 10 at the four-minute mark, before the Gators chipped away as the half drew to a close. Smith scored a pair of baskets in a 50-second span as the half entered the final minute, before a driving layup by Billy Urso closed out the half's scoring, with Denison holding a 30-27 lead.

The Gator offense, which shot 54 percent over the second half, was spread around on the day, as nine different players found the scoring column. Five Gators scored at least six points, with seniors Schweitzer (7) and Sestina (6) joining Smith, Macomber, and Zabriski. Sestina added a season-high three-blocks and Schweitzer a team-best three steals, while Urso tied for game-high honors with five assists.

The Gators also turned in a solid day at the free throw line, going 12-for-15, including a 10-for-12 showing over the decisive second half.

Denison (14-11, 9-9 NCAC) was led on the day the duo of White and Jett Speelman, who each scored 17 points. The Big Red owned a hefty 49-30 edge in rebounding, but were done in by 13 turnovers that led directly to 13 Gator points.

Saturday's game marked the third straight year in which the Gators defeated Denison in the regular season finale, with all three games decided by tight margins. In 2013-14, Allegheny topped the Big Red 76-72 in the Wise Center, before edging Denison on the road by a 60-59 count last season.

The victory ended the careers of Allegheny's six seniors - Koryak, Schweitzer, Smith, Sestina, Brian Holland, and Chris Milon - on a high note, after the group was recognized prior to the game in an on-court ceremony for their four years in the Blue and Gold.