MEADVILLE, Pa. – La Roche College defeated the Gators 72-63 in non-conference men's basketball action in the David V. Wise Center.
 
The Redhawks (6-5) jumped out to an 18-point lead with 14 minutes left in regulation, before holding off a late Allegheny (5-6) surge over the final eight minutes of regulation to escape Meadville with the win.
 
Reigning North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week Jordan Rawls led all scorers with 27 points, while also topping the Gators with nine rebounds.  Gator rookie Nijon Kirkman chipped in a career-high 12 points, all coming in the second half, while classmate Lamar Todd scored eight points and grabbed seven boards.
 
La Roche saw four players score in double figures, led by 18 points from Ryan Norkus, and 16 from Arnes Bajgora. 
 
The two teams shared three ties and exchanged the lead twice in a tight opening five minutes of the first half, before La Roche created some distance by rattling off a quick 10-0 run, taking advantage of a pair of three-pointers and four offensive rebounds to open up a 22-12 lead with 13:17 left in the half.
 
Rawls halted the La Roche momentum with a dunk with 11:24 left, before he and Sean Dougherty each scored baskets to pull back to within single digits, 26-18, at the 9-minute mark.  However, the Redhawks countered with seven unanswered points to open up their biggest lead of the half, 33-18, with just over three minutes left.  After Todd scored five points in the final minute, the Gators' halftime deficit stood at 33-23.
 
Allegheny shot just 30 percent (9-for-20) from the field in the opening half, including a 2-for-12 showing from behind the three-point line.  The Redhawks, who shot 40 percent (14-for-35), out-rebounded the Gators 27-18 in the first half, including 10 offensive boards that led to 11 second-chance points.  La Roche also turned 10 Allegheny turnovers into 14 points in the first half. 
 
The Redhawks added to their lead to start the second half, outscoring the hosts 15-7 in the first six minutes to take their biggest lead of the evening, 48-30, with just inside 14 minutes left in regulation.
 
With 11:14 remaining, Kirkman scored underneath to halt the La Roche run.  It was his first bucket of the evening, and it started a surge in which the rookie would score on five straight possessions to almost singlehandedly fuel a 14-3 Gator run that cut the deficit to 51-44 with 7:25 to go. 
 
At the 5-minute mark, Todd connected on a three-pointer from the wing, before a put-back from Kirkman with 4:07 left pulled the Gators to within 57-51, the closest margin since the 14-minute mark in the first half.
 
La Roche, however, put together another run of its own, scoring on five straight trips to again open up a double-digit lead, 66-54, with 2:11 left.  The advantage would eventually grow to 70-56 with under a minute left, and the Gators were unable to recover.
 
The Gators out-rebounded the Redhawks 26-23 in the second half, while also making 17 field goals to La Roche's 13.  The difference came at the free throw line, as the Redhawks made 10 freebies, while Allegheny was granted a total of just three second half foul shots.
 
Allegheny will now have a nine-day holiday layoff, before they continue their season-long five-game home stand with a 3 p.m. matinee on December 30 against local rival Grove City at the David V. Wise Center.