MEADVILLE, Pa. - Twenty-third ranked Denison used a balanced offense and a strong outside game to defeat Allegheny 98-78 in a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup in the David V. Wise Center.

Denison (19-4, 13-3 NCAC) shot 57 percent for the game and connected on 16 three-pointers, boasting five players in double figures on the scoresheet. The Big Red, who led for the duration of the game, saw the Gators pull to within two in the early stages of the second half, only to counter with a 16-2 run from which Allegheny was unable to recover.

The Gators (7-16, 4-12 NCAC) finished with three players in double figures, with Jordan Rawls tallying 22 points, Evan Zabriski 19, and Conor Macomber 10.  The Gators shot a respectable 48 percent for the game (29-for-60) and went 11-for-27 from behind the arc, but were out-rebounded 36-26, including 14 Denison offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points.

Denison jumped out to a 7-2 lead two minutes into play to force the Gators to play catch-up from the start.  A three-pointer by Macomber and a layup inside by Rawls cut the gap to 9-7 with 15:10 left, but the Big Red countered with a 16-6 run over the next five minutes to take a 25-15 lead at the 10-minute mark on their fifth three-pointer of the afternoon.

The Gators chipped away over the latter stages of the half, pulling to within 30-23 on a Rawls trifecta with 5:45 remaining, before a pair of free throws from Macomber 90 seconds later made it a six-point game, 35-29.  The Big Red again surged ahead to score eight unanswered points to open up a 44-29 advantage with 1:38 left, but a three from Zabriski and a layup by Rawls in the final minute of the half sent the teams into the intermission with Denison leading 44-30.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, with the Gators going 13-for-26 and the Big Red 14-for-28, but the difference came from behind the arc, as eight of Denison's field goals came from behind the arc, compared to just four trifectas by the Gators.

Allegheny came out of the intermission on fire, as Billy Urso and Macomber opened the second half with three-pointers, before a bucket inside from Rawls pulled the Gators to within two, 44-42, with 17:10 left to play.

The tide would quickly turn in favor of the Big Red, however, as they continued to find success from behind the arc to rattle off a 16-2 run, cashing in on four more three-pointers, to jump in front 60-44 with 13:13 left to play.

The Denison lead would eventually stretch to 19, 76-57, at the 8-minute mark, before the Gators mounted one last charge.  After Rawls scored four points in a 25-second span, Zabriski scored on back-to-back possessions to cap off a quick 8-0 run and pull Allegheny to within 11, 76-65, with 5:43 remaining.  The Gators would get no closer, however, as Denison's Jett Speelman answered with a three-pointer to re-gain a 14-point lead, and the Big Red would then score 10 of the game's final 15 points to seal the victory.

In addition to his 19 points, Zabriski tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds, while Rawls grabbed seven boards.  Urso, Jamison Nee, and Brendan O'Toole each had four assists.

Speelman led the Big Red with 27 points, going 8-for-11 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the arc, while Andrew Castagnetti added 20 points, also connecting on five treys.  Garrett Collier finished with 13 points and seven assists for the Big Red, while teammate Johnny Vernasco grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

After the loss, the Gators remain tied for the eighth and final berth into the NCAC playoffs, which begin on Feb. 14.  Allegheny is deadlocked with Kenyon, which fell to DePauw in Saturday action.  

The Gators return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 15, as they travel to Oberlin for an 8 p.m. tip.  Allegheny will be looking for the season sweep of the series, after defeating the Yeomen 75-65 in Meadville on Jan. 18.

Tweet #FeartheSwamp