MEADVILLE, Pa. – Behind a second half surge from Jordan Rawls and some timely defense, Allegheny came back from a double-digit second half deficit to record a 65-61 win over Geneva at the Wise Center.
 
Trailing by as many as 10 points with 15 minutes left, and by seven at the 12-minute mark, the Gators rallied to take a 61-58 lead on a Rawls three-pointer with 1:51 left.  Less than a minute later, Rawls, who scored 19 of his game-high 27 points over the final 13 minutes, calmly connected on a pair of free throws to give the Gators the lead for good.
 
The Allegheny defense held Geneva scoreless on its final five possessions of the game, highlighted by key blocked shots from Antonio Frisina and Brendan O'Toole over the last 30 seconds. 
 
Rawls turned in his second straight 20-plus point game, with his 27-point performance coming three days after he went for a game-best 23 in the Gators' win over Washington & Jefferson.  The sophomore forward connected on four three-pointers, while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line.
 
While Rawls was the lone Gator to score in double figures, he was one of four Allegheny players to net at least seven points, as Billy Urso scored eight, and Nijon Kirkman and Jamison Nee seven apiece.

 
The Gator defense limited Geneva to just 35 percent from the field (21-for-59), while Allegheny picked up a season-best nine steals, paced Frisina's career-best six thefts.  Frisina also dished four assists, while grabbing four rebounds and blocking a shot.
 
Allegheny owned a slim 41-39 edge in rebounding over the sizeable Golden Tornadoes, with Lamar Todd leading the hosts with eight boards, and Brendan O'Toole seven.
 
The two squads traded baskets over a low-scoring opening portion of the game, as Geneva held a 9-8 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the first half. 
 
The pace would then pick up, and a driving layup from Liam Wilby jumpstarted a 16-7 run over the next three minutes that pushed the Gator lead to 24-16 with inside nine minutes to play.  The spurt was aided by a trio of three-pointers, including two from Nee and one from Zack Pateras.
 
Momentum would then swing the way of the Golden Tornadoes, who used a pair of three-pointers of their own to start a 13-5 run and tie the game at 29 with 2:53 left in the half.  The Gators would eventually enter the locker room with a 32-31 lead.
 
Up 34-33 two minutes into the second half, the Gators saw the Golden Tornadoes catch fire, as the visitors needed less than two minutes to rattle off  a 12-1 run and jump ahead 45-35 with 15:50 left to play. 
 
Todd's offensive put-back with 14:51 left stopped the Geneva run, and then Rawls took over, scoring 10 points in a 90-second span to singlehandedly bring the deficit to one, 47-46, with 9:40 left to play.
 
A long three-pointer from Kirkman gave Allegheny back the lead, 49-48, with 8:47 to go, and over the next six minutes, the two squads would go back-and-forth, sharing four ties and exchanging the lead five times.
 
Tied at 58 with 2:17 left, Rawls hit his third trifecta of the second half to give Allegheny the three-point lead.  Geneva's Jimmy Leichlither answered the favor on his team's next trip, but a Frisina block would lead to Rawls' two decisive free throws with 49 seconds left to give the hosts the two-point lead.
 
On the ensuing possession, the Gators forced a missed Geneva three-pointer, but the Golden Tornadoes picked up a quick steal in the back court following the Allegheny rebound.  O'Toole quashed the threat, blocking a shot and grabbing the rebound before dishing off to Kirkman, who was quickly fouled and subsequently buried two from the line to give his team some insurance.
 
Ethan Moose scored a team-leading 19 points for Geneva, while Leichliter went for 15, and Noah Damazo 11.  Leichliter also grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds, while Moose finished with four steals. 
 
The Gators improve to 2-1 on the young season with the victory, while handing the Golden Tornadoes their first loss in three games.
 
Allegheny will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 25, making the short trek to Erie to face Penn State-Behrend beginning at 3 p.m.