MEADVILLE, Pa. – In a back-and-forth game that featured 11 ties and nine lead changes, visiting Wabash came out on top, edging the Gators 68-63 in a North Coast Athletic Conference battle at the David V. Wise Center.
 
For the second time in as many nights, the Gators (7-14, 4-10 NCAC) rebounded from a halftime deficit to take a second half lead, but Wabash (10-11, 6-8 NCAC) used a late 10-3 run to grab the lead for good and escape with the win. 
 
Freshman Jordan Rawls led Allegheny with 20 points, and was joined in double figures by the senior tandem of Conor Macomber (16 points - pictured above) and Evan Zabriski (15).  Rawls also had a team-leading nine rebounds, but the Little Giants finished with a 44-26 edge on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points.

Behind Macomber, the Gators erupted out of the gates to take an 18-11 lead nine minutes into play.  The senior connected on four three-pointers over the span and accounted for 14 of Allegheny's 18 points, while Rawls rounded out the scoring with a pair of layups.
 
The Little Giants then turned to their own sharpshooter, Colten Garland, to quickly jump in front.  The rookie answered with four long balls of his own to spur a 16-7 run that put the visitors in front 27-25 with just inside seven minutes left.
 
Five points from Rawls in a 40-second span would pull Allegheny to within 34-32 with 4:26 left, but Garland scored the final four points of the half to send Wabash into the break with a 38-32 lead.
 
Garland ended the half with 16 points for Wabash, while Macomber (14) and Rawls (11) each reached double digits for Allegheny in the opening 20 minutes.  The Gators shot a respectable 44 percent from the field in the first half, and went 6-for-15 from behind the arc, but Wabash owned the glass, ending the frame with a 22-9 rebounding advantage, including nine on the offensive end.
 
Like Macomber in the first half, Rawls got the Gators off to a strong start in the second stanza, scoring seven points in the first four minutes to lead an 11-1 run that put Allegheny back in front, 44-39, with 15:01 left in regulation.
 
The Little Giants then used success from the foul line to regain the lead, connecting on seven freebies to spur a 9-2 run and go in front 50-48 with 12 minutes remaining.
 
Zabriski would then take over for Allegheny to score the team's next nine points, including seven from the foul line, to give the Gators back a 57-56 lead with 7:28 left to play.
 
It marked the final lead of the day for Allegheny, as the Wabash defense clamped down to limit the Gators to just two field goals over the final seven minutes of play.  The Little Giants took a 58-57 lead on a pair of free throws from Logan White, before Garland scored five straight points to push Wabash in front 63-57 with 3:51 to go.  A baseline jumper by Macomber would cut the deficit to three a minute later, but the Little Giants connected on five foul shots over the final 2:30 to close out the win.
 
Neither offense was sharp in a physical second half, as the Gators shot just 8-for-24 from the field and the Little Giants 7-for-22.  The two teams combined for nearly as many free throw attempts (39) as field goal attempts (46), with Wabash going 15-for-24 from the line in the half, and Allegheny 13-for-15.  The Gators ended the day with a solid 79 percent mark from the stripe, going 15-for-19 for the game.
 
Garland led the Little Giants with 21 points, including five three-pointers, while White ended with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double.
 
With the win, Wabash salvaged a split in the season series between the two squads, after Allegheny won 68-62 in Indiana on Jan. 4.
 
The Gators return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 8, traveling to co-NCAC leader Wooster for an 8 p.m. tip.