GRANVILLE, Ohio -- Senior Jordan Rawls (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) and junior Nijon Kirkman (Cleveland, Ohio/John Hay) helped erase a double-digit second-half deficit and lead the Allegheny men's basketball team to a 72-69 road win at Denison.

With the victory, the Gators improve to 10-5 on the year and match their win total from a season ago. It also moves the Blue & Gold to 4-4 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play, solidly in the middle of the standings in one of Division III's top basketball leagues.

Behind just 28.6 percent from both the field (10-for-35) and three-point line (4-of-14) in the first half, the Gators trailed by 11 points at intermission, 38-27. Early in the second period, the margin stretched as large as 14 after a traditional three-point play by the Big Red on the first possession of the second half. Moments later, a 13-4 run, capped by a layup and two free throws by Rawls and two three-pointers by Kirkman brought the margin to three points (49-46) at the 14:16 mark of the second half.

At the 4:03 mark, Rawls knocked down a triple, which was answered back by Denison. However, the senior would not be outdone on the ensuing possession as he returned the favor and kept the score at one, 63-62, as 2:29 showed on the clock. The Big Red would not cave right away, as the hosts responded with another triple, but freshman Keeno Holmes (Pittsburgh, Pa./Lincoln Park) was fouled beyond-the-arc and knocked down all three free throws with 1:58 to play. Rawls gave Allegheny its first lead (67-66) since more than 16 minutes remained in the first half with a jumper at 1:13, before Kirkman hit one-of-two free throws to to make it a two-point game with 52 ticks to go. Denison was able to knock down another three-pointer to retake the lead, 69-68, but a pair of free throws by Brian Roberts, Jr. (Copley, Ohio/Copley) first knotted the total at 69-69, before giving the Gators a 70-69 advantage with under 10 seconds to play. An offensive foul caused a turnover for the Big Red and Rawls sealed the game with two free throws with five ticks left, 72-69.

Rawls finished with a game-high 28 points, his most in a game since putting up 30 on Nov. 26 against Geneva. The senior also collected nine rebounds and continues to average a double-double on the season (20.0 points, 10.3 rebounds). Also with his performance against Denison, Rawls now has 1,558 career points, moving him into second place on the Allegheny career list, 136 points from first. Holmes was second on the team with 16 points, plus five boards and four assists. Kirkman put up his second straight double-double with 11 points and a game- and career-high 14 rebounds. He also flirted with a triple-double by handing out seven assists.

Allegheny will welcome Oberlin to Mullen Arena at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The last time the two teams met in Meadville, the squads played a triple-overtime thriller. This year, the Gators will be teaming up with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and American Cancer Society for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game, which promotes cancer awareness.