MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny women's basketball team battled against Kenyon in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) home action Saturday (Dec. 4), falling to the Ladies 81-67.
Emily Lauer (Knox, Pa./Keystone) paced the Gators offensively with a season-high 22 points, her second 20-point game of the season. She also led the team with four steals.
Alexis Caldwell (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) finished the game with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, plus a team-high three assists.
Branygan Bianchin (Wexford, Pa./North Catholic) was the third Gator in double figures, tallying 13 points.
Jenna Manke (Freeport, Paa./Freeport) and
Gabby Culotta (Willoughby, Ohio/Andrews Osborne Academy) grabbed six and five rebounds, respectively.
For the game, the Gators shot 44.1 percent (30-of-68) from the floor and owned a narrow 37-36 rebounding edge.
The Gators opened up the game with a 5-0 run with Lauer supplying four of those points, however, the Ladies scored the ensuing 11 points to take the lead. The Gators offense picked it back up and played evenly with Kenyon for the remainder of the quarter. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Bianchin cut the Kenyon advantage to 24-16 at the end of one period.
After a 4-0 Kenyon run to start the second quarter, Allegheny strung together a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 28-22 midway through. The Gators cut the lead a bit more to five in the final two minutes, but the Ladies took a 34-27 lead into the locker room.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the third trading baskets. In the final two minutes though, the Gators went on a 9-0 run to bring the game within two points, 49-47. After a pair of free throws by the Ladies, Lauer converted her second traditional three point play to put the Gators within one, 51-50, as they entered the final frame.
Kenyon opened the fourth quarter with a pair of threes. The Ladies continued to control the pace of the game after the quick baskets as they held on for the conference win.
NCAC action rolls on for the Gators as they will hit the road to Wooster, Ohio and a 5:30 p.m. meeting with the Scots on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
