WOOSTER, Ohio – After a back-and-forth game, a late Wooster run proved too much for the Allegheny women's basketball team to overcome as they fell on the road 58-54 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) action Wednesday (Dec. 8).
 
Emily Lauer (Knox, Pa./Keystone) led the Gators with 12 points while adding four rebounds and a pair of steals.  Alexis Caldwell (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) pieced together a 10 point, 11 rebound double-double, her fourth of the season.  Branygan Bianchin (Wexford, Pa./North Catholic) also tallied ten points and two blocks while leading the team with three assists.  Jenna Manke (Freeport, Pa./Freeport) contributed eight points, six rebounds and two blocks while Chloe Rabold (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) had seven points and a team-high three steals.  
 
For the contest, the Gators shot 41.1 percent (23-56) from the floor, and had a 41-37 rebounding edge. They also blocked six shots.
 
Allegheny gained an early edge, jumping out to an early 8-4 lead.  The Fighting Scots controlled the flow of the quarter after that, taking a 16-13 lead into the second quarter. 
 
A quick four points to open the second put the Gators back in front, 17-16.  The teams continued to exchange leads throughout the remainder of the half, with Lauer giving the Gators a 28-27 lead on a late basket.
 
The back-and-forth play trickled into the third quarter.  Knotted at 32, the Gators went on a 10-0 run to ultimately take a 44-36 lead into the final frame.  
 
Wooster erased their eight point deficit in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 47.  Two straight baskets from Caldwell and Gabby Culotta (Willoughby, Ohio/Andrews Osborne Academy) put the Gators back in front by four.  However, the Fighting Scots outpaced the Gators 11-7 down the final stretch to collect the conference win.
 
The Gators are back in action Monday, December 20, when they travel to Delaware, Ohio to face Ohio Wesleyan.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.