MEADVILLE, Pa. - Jordan Rawls led five Gators in double figures with 30 points, and Allegheny rode an explosive second half to a 90-73 victory over Kenyon in North Coast Athletic Conference action in the David V. Wise Center.

Holding onto a three-point lead at halftime, the Gators scored on each of their first 13 possessions of the second frame to open the half on a 29-8 run, and cruised the rest of the way.

In addition to Rawls' 30 points, Evan Zabriski bucketed 18, Brendan O'Toole 15, and Billy Urso and Jamison Nee 12 apiece.  Allegheny shot a solid 52 percent from the game, including a 55 percent mark over the final 20 minutes, while the squad committed a season-low 11 turnovers, and out-rebounded the Lords 37-34.  

The Gators were in control for much of the first half, but despite an efficient effort on offense, were unable to gain much separation for the duration of the frame.  Allegheny's largest lead of the first half came just four minutes into play, as the Gators jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead after three-pointers from Urso and O'Toole, and a pair of buckets by Rawls.

After Kenyon scored seven straight points to pull to within one, the Gators fired off a 7-2 run, beginning with five points from Zabriski in a 40-second span, and capped off with a driving layup by Nee, to make the score 19-13 with just inside 11 minutes left in the half.  The Lords would chip away, using a conventional three-point play from Matt Shifrin, and a pair of free throws from Bennett Grigull, to tie it at 23 with 7:23 remaining in the half.  The teams would then trade three leads and three ties until the final minute of the half, when O'Toole scored on the Gators' last possession to send his team into the locker room with a 39-36 advantage.

The Gators shot a commendable 49 percent (15-for-31) from the field over the opening 20 minutes, including a 6-for-13 mark from behind the arc, but Kenyon remained close thanks to a perfect 8-for-8 mark from the foul line, including seven freebies from Grigull.  Rawls posted 13 first half points to lead the Gators, with Zabriski and Urso each scoring eight apiece.

Rawls opened the second half by cashing in on a traditional three-point play, and it invigorated the Blue and Gold.  The hosts needed just 65 seconds to open up a double-digit lead, as buckets from O'Toole and Nee, followed by a trifecta from Rawls, pushed Allegheny in front 49-38 with 17:57 left.  After a three from O'Toole from the top of the key pushed the Gator lead to 57-40 with 15:46 to go, Rawls threw down a powerful two-handed slam.  Nee picked off the ensuing inbounds pass, before Urso connected on a long three-pointer to cap off a 23-6 run and put the hosts in front 62-42 with 15 minutes to play.

The Gators continued to add on to their lead.  O'Toole scored on consecutive possessions, before another Nee layup and a three-pointer from Conor Macomber gave the Gators a 71-46 advantage with just over 12 minutes left in regulation.

Kenyon looked to counter, using a 9-1 run to trim the Gator lead to 72-55 at the midpoint of the half, but led by Zabriski, Allegheny responded with a final surge to put the game away.  The senior scored on four of his team's next six possessions to total nine points in a two-minute span, highlighted by a corner three-pointer at the 7-minute mark, to give Allegheny its largest lead of the night, 85-59.  

The Lords would find success from downtown as the game wound down, connecting on five trifectas in the final five minutes of play, but the deficit was too large to overcome, and Allegheny cruised to the conference victory.

Allegheny scored a season-best 51 points in the second half, with Rawls scoring 17, Zabriski 11, and O'Toole 10 over the final 20 minutes of action.  Not to be overshadowed by the explosive second half offense, the Gator defense forced 14 Kenyon turnovers that led to 17 Allegheny points.

Rawls, who turned in his second 30-point performance of the season, went 12-for-16 from the field, while also tying Urso for a team-best three three-pointers.  The rookie big man also led the Gators with eight rebounds, while adding five assists.  Urso added game-highs with seven assists and five steals, while Nee committed four thefts.  Allegheny out-rebounded Kenyon 37-34 for the game, including nine offensive boards that accounted for 11 second-chance points.

Kenyon was led on the scoresheet by Grigull, who scored 21 points, fueled by an 11-for-12 showing from the foul line.  Ethan Shapiro added 14 for the Lords, while Alex Laub grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds.

The victory moves Allegheny to 6-12 on the season, while Kenyon drops to 4-14.  The teams are now deadlocked in the NCAC standings with identical 3-8 conference marks.

Allegheny returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 28, traveling to Hiram for a 3 p.m. NCAC battle.