CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – In a game that featured six ties and six lead changes in the second half, Allegheny came out on top, defeating North Coast Athletic Conference foe Wabash 68-62.
Freshman
Jamison Nee (pictured above) led all scorers with 21 points, going 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 from behind the arc, while senior
Evan Zabriski added 14 points, and freshman
Jordan Rawls 13. The Gators turned in their top performance of the season at  the foul line, connecting on 14 of 15 attempts, while defensively, Allegheny limited Wabash to just 36 percent from the field.
The win improved Allegheny's record to 4-8 overall and 1-4 in the NCAC, while Wabash sees its mark fall to 6-6/2-3.
After the two teams traded baskets over the opening three minutes of play, a three-pointer from
Conor Macomber put the Gators up 8-5, and they would hold the lead for 16 of the final 17 minutes of a physical, defensively-themed first half.Â
Allegheny would push the lead to 17-12 with 11:19 left in the half on a three-pointer from Nee, before Wabash countered with an 8-2 run to claim its first advantage of the half, 20-19, with just inside seven minutes left.
The Gators responded with a 9-2 run, receiving five points from Nee and two apiece from Zabriski and
Billy Urso, to open up a 28-22 lead with 3:42 remaining. Wabash would hold Allegheny scoreless for the rest of the half, but the Little Giants were only able to add a pair of baskets over the span, and the Gators entered the intermission with a 28-26 lead.
Allegheny's defense was the story of the first half, as the Gators limited the Little Giants to just eight field goals on 32 attempts, including a 2-for-14 mark from behind the arc. Nee led all players with eight first half points, going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 on three-pointers, while Allegheny doubled up the Little Giants 16-8 in points in the paint.
Wabash scored on its first two trips of the second half to reclaim a 30-28 lead, but after an Urso foul line jumper tied it, Rawls scored six points in a three-minute span, before Nee's fourth trifecta of the game capped off a 13-4 run that gave the Gators their largest lead of the night, 41-32, with 15 minutes left in regulation.
The Little Giants again fought back, connecting on a pair of three-pointers while taking advantage of a trio of Gator turnovers to score seven unanswered points in a two-minute span to make it a two-point game, 41-39.
Two free throws from Macomber, followed by
Donte Wallette's fast break layup off of a
Zack Pateras steal, would put the Gators up 45-39 at the 12-minute mark, but again Wabash fought back to eventually tie the game at 48-all with 9:24 remaining.
The game remained tight for the remainder of play. Nee,
Liam Wilby, and Zabriski each hit three-pointers in a three-minute span, but Wabash answered back each time, and eventually took a 58-57 lead with just over four minutes to go.
With 3:18 left, Nee made a strip steal near midcourt and went the distance for a layup to put the Gators up 59-58. The teams then traded scoreless possessions over the next 80 seconds, before Wabash hit one of two free throws to tie it at 59 with exactly two minutes left.
The Gators would then offer a final counter punch, with Nee's three-pointer at the 1:45 mark putting his team in front 62-59. A steal by Rawls on the ensuing possession led to Zabriski making a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left to make it a five-point game.Â
The Little Giants answered with a three-pointer on the next trip to again make it a two-point margin, but the Allegheny continued to shine at the line, with Nee making a pair of charity tosses at the 15-second mark to put the Gators back up by five.
Brendan O'Toole's blocked shot underneath prematurely ended Wabash's next possession with seven seconds left, before Rawls hit two more freebies with five ticks remaining to seal the victory and account for the final score.
Nee tallied 13 points in the second half, while Rawls and Zabriski each tallied nine. Ralws also added three second half steals, while the Gators went 11-for-12 from the foul line as a team.
Wabash was led by Harrison Halstrom, who bucketed 16 points, while Colten Garland added 12. The Little Giants' Logan White grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, but Allegheny ended with a slim 36-35 advantage on the glass.
The Gators will now wrap up their busy week with a trip to Granville, Ohio, as they are slated to take on Denison on Saturday, Jan. 7 beginning at 3 p.m.
