MEADVILLE, Pa. - Clinging to a three-point lead, Allegheny held visiting Washington & Jefferson without a field goal for the final 7:44 of regulation to pull away for a 75-54 win in the final game of the 2017 Greg Richards '08 Memorial Classic, presented by Marquette Savings Bank.

Sophomore Jordan Rawls erupted for a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double and was one of three Gators to score in double figures, as classmate Jamison Nee scored 17 points, and junior Billy Urso 11.

In a physical contest that saw the two teams commit a combined 38 fouls, the Gators (1-1) out-rebounded the Presidents (0-2) 51-34, while Allegheny sank 10 three-pointers to W&J's four.

Behind six points from Rawls and five from Nee, the Gators jumped out to an 11-7 lead four minutes into play.  The Presidents would battle back, pulling to within 14-12 at the 13-minute mark, before buckets from Rawls on back-to-back trips upped the advantage to 18-12 at the midway point of the half.  

W&J's Brian Lindquist would answer by scoring six points in a two-minute span to spur an 8-1 run that put the Presidents in front 20-19 with just over six minutes left, but Urso countered by sinking three-pointers on back-to-back trips to push the Gators back in front 25-20 with 5:15 to go.  The visitors twice cut the gap to two points over the final minutes of the half, but Sean Dougherty's bucket in the paint, off of a nifty assist from Brendan O'Toole, allowed the Gators to enter the break with a 31-27 lead.

While both teams shot 38 percent from the field over the first half, the Gators connected on 13 field goals to W&J's 10, thanks to nine offensive rebounds, and eight President turnovers.

In the opening stages of the second half, the Gators looked primed to pull away, opening the frame on an 11-1 run to jump ahead 41-28 with 16 minutes left to play. Over the early spurt, Nee connected on a pair of three-pointers, while Rawls and Nijon Kirkman each bucketed two points. 

As was the case in the first half, the Presidents would chip away at the deficit, whittling it to single digits at 44-36 with 13 minutes left, before eventually capping off a 20-7 run by pulling to within 51-48 with 7:44 remaining.

A slashing layup from Liam Wilby halted the W&J run at the 7:30 mark, before a layup by Nee and a Rawls three-pointer pushed the Gator lead back into double figures, 58-48, with 6:15 remaining.  Allegheny was far from finished, as baskets from Wilby and Dougherty upped the lead to 64-48 with 5:17 to go, before Rawls scored four points in a 10-second span to give the Gators a 20-point cushion with 3:48 remaining.

Two free throws from Urso with 1:40 left closed out the long 21-1 run, giving the Gators their largest lead of the day, 72-49, and allowing the hosts to coast down the stretch for the win.

The Gators commanding edge on the glass was thanks to a team effort, as O'Toole grabbed eight, Lamar Todd seven, and Nee six.  Nee also had a team-high four assists and three steals, while O'Toole and Todd each blocked two shots.

Washington & Jefferson had four players score in double figures, with Sean Stinelli scoring 13 points, Brian Lindquist and Nick Campalong 12, and Brian Graytok 10.  Campalong led his squad with nine rebounds.

The Gators will now return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 21, capping off their three-game homestand with an 8 p.m. non-conference bout against Geneva College in the Wise Center.