MEADVILLE, Pa. – Visiting Kenyon held off a furious late comeback from the Gators to escape the David V. Wise Center with a 64-62 North Coast Athletic Conference win.
 
Trailing by 13 points and halftime, and by 10 with inside seven minutes left, the Gators (3-4, 0-2 NCAC) held Kenyon (4-2, 1-1 NCAC) without a point for the final 5:59, and cut the deficit to just 64-62 with 1:49 left in regulation.  A last-second Gator three-pointer was off the mark, however, and the Lords managed to hang on for the win.

Jordan Rawls produced his second double-double of the season, going for 21 points and 11 rebounds. Lamar Todd was a second Gator to score in double figures, bucketing 12 points while adding seven rebounds.  Rawls and Todd were among four Gators to grab at least five boards on the night, as Allegheny held a commanding 47-36 edge on the glass.
 
After the Gators scored the game's first four points, the Lords answered back, eventually taking a 7-6 lead with 16:20 left in the half.  Allegheny would then counter, as buckets from Rawls, Brendan O'Toole, and Jamison Nee giving the hosts a 14-10 mark with just inside 12 minutes to go.
 
Kenyon quickly countered in a big way, scoring 16 unanswered points in the next three minutes – connecting on a trio of three-pointers over the span – to open up a 26-14 advantage with 8:30 remaining in the half.
 
A layup from Todd with 8:02 left stopped the Kenyon surge, and the rookie would then score eight of the Gators' next 11 points, as the hosts whittled the deficit to just 33-27 with 2:44 left in the first frame.   The visitors would take the momentum into the locker room, however, as they scored the final six points of the half to take a 39-27 halftime lead.
 
Over the first 20 minutes, the Gators shot just 28 percent (10-for-35) from the field, compared to a 14-for-35 effort by the Lords.  Kenyon also had five three-pointers to the Gators' three, while the Lords forced eight Gator turnovers, and committed just two.
 
The teams traded baskets in the opening stages of the second half, as three-pointers from Billy Urso and Rawls kept the deficit at 12, 45-33, with 16:54 remaining.  A conventional three-point play by Nee on a fast-break layup pulled the Gators back to within single digits, 45-36, but the Lords countered with a 10-3 run to take their biggest lead of the night, 55-39, with 12:41 left in regulation.
 
Like his former high school teammate Todd in the first half, Rawls would then take control to pull the Gators back to within striking distance.  With 12:12 left, Rawls connected on a three-pointer from the top of the key to trim the gap to 55-42.  The strike ignited the sophomore, and marked the first three of his 10 straight points over the next 2:30 that pulled the Gators to within 57-49 with 9:35 to go.
 
Kenyon again threatened to pull away, regaining a double-digit lead, 64-53, with 5:59 remaining, but three-pointer from Ben Stern proved to be the final points scored by the Lords on the evening, and the Gators continued on the comeback trail.
 
Nijon Kirkman scored four points in a 60-second span to close the gap to 64-57, before the next Gator possession resulted in three offensive rebounds and a made free throw by Zach Shedd.  After another empty Kenyon possession, Shedd connected on a layup off of a nifty pass from Todd to make it 64-60 with 2:25 to go, before Rawls sank a jumper at the 1:49 mark to make it a one-score game, 64-62.
 
On the ensuing trip, Todd came up with a quick steal after a scramble just inside half court, but Allegheny came up empty on a pair of looks.  The Gator defense again kept the Lords off the board on their next possession, as Shedd blocked a layup underneath with 26 seconds left and the shot clock at zero, giving the ball back to Allegheny.
 
On their last possession of the game, the Gators worked the ball around the top of the key, but a three-pointer from the top of the key with less than a second left was too strong, and Kenyon escaped with the win.
 
In the second half, the Gators out-scored the Lords 35-25, and forced eight Kenyon turnovers.  Allegheny out-rebounded Kenyon 21-16 in the second half, including eight offensive boards that led to six second-chance points.  Rawls scored 15 of Allegheny's 35 points over the final frame, going 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc. 
 
Alex Laub led Kenyon with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. He was one of three Lords to score in double figures, as Matt Shifrin added 12 points, and Phillip Crampton 11, on the strength of a 3-for-4 showing from behind the arc.
 
The Gators will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 9, when they make the short trek across state lines to face the Hiram Terriers beginning at 1 p.m.