By Adam Cohen, Athletic Communications Assistant

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Allegheny's men's basketball team ushered a timely comeback to defeat Oberlin 76-73 in overtime on Wednesday (Feb. 16) in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) matchup.

The Gators improved to 8-12, 6-8 NCAC as the overtime win marked Allegheny's first since it went the distance against Geneva on Nov. 26, 2019.

Allegheny led throughout the entire first half and ended the first 20 minutes of play ahead, 34-22. Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) compiled a monstrous first half where he recorded 14 points and eight rebounds. Caden Hinckley (Boise, Idaho/Mount Lebanon (Pa.)) also filled up the scorebook with six points, six assists, seven boards and a block.

However, the Gators' 2-for-16 stretch from the field to open the second half allowed Oberlin to be up 43-40 in the first 11 minutes of the period. Allegheny clawed back to within one through a Jordan Greynolds (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) layup to make it a 45-44 contest. Nevertheless, Oberlin's lead grew to as much as nine points as the Yeomen were ahead 64-55 with 3:35 remaining.

Yet, back-to-back successful shots from three-point range by Greynolds and Wilder, along with a Brian Roberts, Jr. (Copley, Ohio/Copley) basket in the paint cut the deficit to 64-63. After a made free throw from Oberlin, Roberts, Jr. took possession of the ball. Although he missed his first attempt to score, he collected his own rebound, and banked one off the glass to tie the game at 65-65.

A back-and-forth start to overtime set the stage for KC Johns (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley). The sophomore guard went two-for-two from the charity stripe to put Allegheny on top for good, 69-68. The two rivals traded buckets before Johns added the finishing touch by draining a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to make it 74-68.

Oberlin nearly rallied back and was behind by three, but the Yeomen opted for a layup to make it a 74-73 contest with two seconds remaining. The Gators then inbounded the ball to Roberts, Jr., who paces the team in free throw percentage, and was immediately fouled. Roberts, Jr., sealed the win by knocking in two more points at the line and went a perfect six-for-six at the stripe.

Overall, Wilder and Hinckley both delivered double-doubles. The former drilled in a career-high 24 points and 12 off the glass, while the latter provided 14 points with 12 rebounds. Furthermore, Wilder achieved this feat for the third time in his last four games, while Hinckley garnered the milestone for the 12th time this season. Greynolds and Roberts, Jr. reached double figures with 16 and 14 tallies respectively, while Johns picked up a career-high eight points.

Allegheny concludes the 2021-22 regular season at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19. Prior to the game against Denison, the Gators will recognize their three senior members.