MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny women's basketball team was unable to overcome a strong second half by Grove City as they fell in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play, 68-58, Saturday (Jan. 7) in Meadville.
The Gators gained a 12-6 lead in the opening quarter, with
Sarah Santicola (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) supplying six of those points and
Alexis Caldwell (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) adding four more. The Wolverines would answer with four straight points but a timely
Jess Bickart (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) three-pointer kept the Gators ahead, 15-10, heading into the second quarter.
A three-pointer by
Bella Wier (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) extended the lead to 18-10 in the second quarter, but Grove City went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to two. Allegheny answered with a 5-0 run, but down the stretch the Wolverines fought back and tied the game at 27 on a last second lay-up.
Santicola led the Gators with nine points, four rebounds and three blocks in the opening half while the Gators shot 46.2% (12-of-26) from the floor.
After back-and-forth action to start the third quarter, Grove City scored four points to pull ahead, 33-29. Baskets by Lauer and Caldwell would tie the game at 33, however, the Wolverines ended the frame on an 11-4 run to take a 46-37 lead into the final quarter.
The Gators kept it within reach in the fourth quarter, scoring a game-best 21 points. They cut the lead down to five multiple times, but were unable to overcome the deficit.
Inside the Box
- Emily Lauer (Knox, Pa./Keystone) led the Gators with 18 points while also grabbing six rebounds and tallying a pair of steals.
- Santicola registered her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. She also recorded her fifth four block game.
- Bickart and Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central) each had seven points and a pair of rebounds. Bickart led the team with three assists.
- Caldwell finished with six points and four rebounds.
Up Next
The Gators return to the road Wednesday (Jan. 11) for a 6 pm PAC contest at Westminster.