GREENCASTLE, Ind. – Allegheny used a 19-3 run over the final 8:40 to earn a 59-54 comeback victory over DePauw in North Coast Athletic Conference action at the Neal Fieldhouse.
Junior
Conor Macomber helped fuel the comeback, scoring seven of his career-high 20 points over the final two minutes of play, including a foul line jumper with 26 seconds left that gave the Gators a lead they would not relinquish.
Macomber was joined in double figures on the scoresheet by senior
Brandon Smith, who bucketed 13 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds to share the team lead with junior
Evan Zabriski. The prowess of Zabriski and Smith on the glass helped the Gators own a commanding 39-25 advantage in rebounding.
In addition to the strong performance on the boards, the Gators also turned in arguably their finest 40 minutes of defense of the season, limiting DePauw to just 35 percent from the field (19-for-53).
Macomber's bucket with 26 seconds left capped off a dominant nine-minute stretch for the Gators on both sides of the basketball. Trailing 51-40 with just inside nine minutes remaining, Allegheny rattled off eight unanswered points – four from Smith and two apiece from Zabriski and Macomber – to slash the deficit to three with five minutes to go.
Over the four-minute run, the Allegheny defense held DePauw to 0-for-6 from the field, while the Gators grabbed eight rebounds, including a trio of boards on the offensive end that directly led to points.
DePauw halted the Gator run with a Bradley Fey three-pointer with 4:20 left to go ahead 54-48, but it proved to be the final points of the night for the hosts, as the Gators took command down the stretch.
A long three-pointer from the left wing by Macomber cut the gap back down to three, 54-51, and after another scoreless DePauw possession,
Evan Schweitzer brought the Gators to within one with a slashing layup with 1:54 to go.
The teams then traded scoreless possessions, before Macomber took a pass from Smith in the low post and buried a jumper from 16 feet to put Allegheny up 55-54 with 26 seconds left, the Gators' first lead since the closing minutes of the first half.
On the ensuing trip,
Antonio Frisina came up with a steal, and the Tigers quickly fouled Macomber, who connected on a pair of free throws to add to the lead. DePauw's final possession of the night ended in a missed three-pointer, and the Gators'
Andrew Sestina was fouled on the rebound. Sestina then calmly stepped to the line and connected on a pair of charity tosses with two seconds left to seal the five-point win.
Over the game's second half, Allegheny out-scored DePauw 34-25, and out-rebounded the Tigers 24-15. Macomber scored 13 points in the second half, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line, while the Gators limited the Tigers to 31 percent from the floor.
The first half started as a defensive battle, as the teams shared two lead changes and four ties over the first 12 minutes, after which DePauw led 14-11.
Both offenses would then come to life, and the Gators used a 9-1 run, capped off with a three from Macomber and a foul shot from Smith, to take a 23-20 lead with 2:25 left. DePauw countered with a 9-2 run over the final two minutes to enter the intermission up 29-25.
The Tiger lead would hover between three and six points over the first six minutes of the final stanza, before the hosts pieced together a 10-0 run to take a 51-40 lead with 8:46 left. With 7:45 to go, Smith halted the run by scoring on an offensive put back, planting the seeds for the Gator comeback.
DePauw was led on the scoresheet by Luke Lattner, who scored 17 points and connected on a game-high four three-pointers. David Vogel added nine points for the Tigers.
The Gators (3-17, 3-10 NCAC) will now have a quick turnaround before returning to action on Saturday at 3 p.m., when they take on Wabash to close out the weekend road swing through Indiana.
