MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny men's basketball team saw six players score in double figures as it opened North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play with a 103-68 home win against Hiram on Wednesday (Dec. 1).
Brian Roberts, Jr. (Copley, Ohio/Copley) led the Gators' offense with 20 points to go with six assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals.
Caden Hinckley (Bosie, Idaho/Mt. Lebanon (Pa.)) nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and seven assists. Additionally, he also blocked a pair of shots.
Peter Snipes (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr.) also ended the night with 14 points.
Jordan Greynolds (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) had 13 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) had 11 points while
Josh Ratesic (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) finished with 10.
Holden Phillips (Broadlands, Va./Briar Wood) was second on the team with seven rebounds while
Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) had four assists.
Overall, the Gators shot 52 percent (39-of-75) from the floor and drained 13 three-pointers. The team also held a 46-33 rebound advantage.
After Hiram gained the initial lead, the Gators went on a 15-0 run to gain a 17-8 advantage. In that run, Roberts, Jr. scored seven points, while Snipes had four of them. The Blue & Gold held that advantage throughout the remainder of the half, ending on a 15-6 run, to take a 44-31 edge into the locker room.
In the opening half, Allegheny shot 44 percent (16-for-36) from the field, including six three-pointers.
Allegheny got out to a fast start in the second half, going on a 12-2 run before a Hiram timeout. Roberts, Jr. hit a pair of three pointers in that run while Snipes had four points, including a dunk. Following the timeout, Allegheny continued to control the pace of the game as they led 63-26 at the first media timeout of the half. The offense continued to fire on all cylinders as the lead grew to 82-44 midway through the second half. In the waning minutes of the game, the Allegheny advantage grew to as much as 40 as the Gators secured the conference-opening victory.
The Gators are back at home Saturday (Dec. 4) as they continue NCAC action against Kenyon.
