NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Allegheny College junior Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) led all scorers with a single-game career-high 28 points on Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough for the Gators in an 86-83 road loss against Westminster College.

Wilder was one of three Gators (1-3, 0-1 PAC) in double figures and joined Caden Hinckley (Boise, Idaho/Mount Lebanon (Pa.)) with a double-double performance in the 2022-23 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener against the Titans (3-0, 1-0 PAC). The third-year forward finished the night 12-of-19 from the field with a team-high three 3-point field goals and 11 rebounds. Hinckley scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting with a game-high 12 boards.

The Titans broke a 40-40 tie in the final 75 seconds of the opening half with five of the next seven points, all of which came from first-year guard Bobby Ray. But the 45-42 lead at the break didn't last for long, as the Gators returned to the floor after the intermission and quickly evened the score at 50-all. Wilder started the second-half rally with his first 3-pointer and scored Allegheny's 50th point on a free-throw attempt. He then gave Allegheny the lead, 56-52, by sinking back-to-back threes. Hinckley added a fast-break dunk to extend the Gators' advantage to six points, 58-52, with just under 14 minutes to play.

The Gators held onto the lead until the eight-minute mark, when the Titans buried a second-chance basket, stripped Allegheny of the ball on the ensuing possession, and scored again to jump ahead 67-64.

The two sides found themselves tied at 77-77 after a Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) trey with just under three minutes left in regulation. Westminster recorded the next four points and led by four, 85-81, inside the final minute. Although Allegheny's efforts to foul the Titans worked - Westminster missed five free throws in the last 31 seconds - the Gators were unable to put away their attempts on the other end of the court.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny finished 34-of-73 from the floor for a 46.6 field-goal percentage.
• Westminster was slightly more efficient, as the Titans shot 34-of-68 for a 50.0 field-goal percentage.
• The Gators made seven 3-pointers, while the Titans only converted four tries from beyond the arc.
• Allegheny also held a large lead in rebounds, 42-to-32.
• Wilder scored 28 points with 11 rebounds, while Hinckley added his own double-double with 18 points and 12 boards.
• Off the bench, Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) reached double digits with 11 points.
• Charlie Waid (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) handed out a team-high seven assists.
• Andrew Clark paced the four Titans in double figures with 21 points.

News and Notes

• Wednesday's contest marked Allegheny's return to the PAC and its first PAC matchup since the 1983-84 season.
• Allegheny's 83 points are second only to the 94 points scored in the 2022-23 season-opener.
• The Gators have out-rebounded their opponents in all four games so far this season.
• Hinckley has scored in double figures in four consecutive games to start the year.
• Wilder has 50 points in his last two games after netting a career-high 28 against Westminster.

Up Next
The Gators continue PAC play on Saturday, November 19, when the travel to Franciscan University for a 2:00 p.m. contest at the Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio.