MEADVILLE, Pa. – Allegheny scored the game's first 11 points and never looked back, earning a convincing 70-57 win over visiting DePauw in a North Coast Athletic Conference battle in the David V. Wise Center.
 
The Allegheny (4-5, 1-3 NCAC) offense connected on a season-high 13 three-pointers, while the Gator defense forced 18 DePauw (2-6, 0-4 NCAC) turnovers, to earn the wire-to-wire victory.
 
Jordan Rawls racked up game-highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds to post his third double-double of the season, while teammate Jamison Nee added 17 points, six steals, and six rebounds. 
 
The Gators were hot from the start, jumping out to an 11-0 lead less than four minutes into play.  Rawls had a pair of treys over the span, while Billy Urso added a trifecta, and Nee a driving layup.  The hosts continued to find paydirt from deep, with Lamar Todd and Nee adding three-pointers over the next two minutes to help the Gator lead swell to 27-11 with just inside 10 minutes left in the half.
 
The teams would trade buckets over the next several minutes, before the Tigers cut into the deficit with time winding down, embarking on an 11-2 run to pull to within six, 36-30, at the two-minute mark.  Nine of the 11 points over the run came from behind the arc. 
 
Allegheny was able to add some cushion to its lead before heading into the locker room, as Urso cashed in on a three-pointer on the Gators' final possession of the half to push the lead back into double-digits, 40-30, at the intermission.
 
Rawls led both sides with 15 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Nee had nine points and five steals over the opening 20 minutes.  The Gator offense shot 48 percent from the field (14-for-29), including a 7-for-15 mark from long range, while going 5-for-7 at the foul line.  Allegheny's defense limited DePauw to just 36 percent from the field (11-for-30), while forcing 15 Tiger turnovers.
 
DePauw would take charge to open the second half, outscoring the Gators 8-2 over the first 3:30 to pull to within 42-38, with the four-point margin the closest since the game's opening minute. 

The Gators quickly shrugged off the slow start to the second stanza.  Urso and Rawls connected on trifectas 90 seconds apart to up the lead back to eight, 48-40, before Nee scored five points in a 50-second span to give the Gators another double-digit lead, 53-40, with just inside 12 minutes left.
 
The Tigers' Chris Burrough hit a pair of threes in a one-minute span to temporarily bring the visitors to within 59-50 at the 6-minute mark, but three-pointers from Nee and Zack Pateras increased the Gators' lead to 65-50 with 4:14 left.  The 15-point deficit proved too much for the Tigers to overcome, and the Gators cruised down the stretch to seal their first NCAC win of the season.
 
In addition to the career-high six steals from Nee, the Gator defense also totaled a season-best seven blocked shots, with Zach Shedd leading the way with four.  Wilby posted a team-high five assists for Allegheny.
 
DePauw was led on the scoresheet by David Vogel, who came off the bench to score 12 points, on the strength of four three-pointers.  Josh Hall was a second Tiger to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points, while he also led the visitors with eight rebounds.
 
The Gators will now have a quick turnaround, as they will welcome NCAC foe Wabash to the David V. Wise Center for a 2 p.m. tip on Sunday, December 17.