MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team ended the first half of the season with a 92-79 loss to Chatham University in a rematch of the 2022-23 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship inside the David V. Wise Center on Sunday evening.

Chatham (8-5, 6-2 PAC), which boasts the second-highest scoring offense in the PAC, led by as many as 16 points in both halves of the New Year's Eve matchup. However, the Gators (5-7, 3-4 PAC) managed to make things interesting late in the second half before the Cougars could seal the 13-point victory.

Trailing 65-49 with just over 13 minutes left, Allegheny scored 21 of the next 32 points over the following eight minutes. Senior forward Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) was responsible for the next seven Allegheny points. Wilder, James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview), and Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) each provided a 3-pointer during the rally, with Turk's trey cutting the deficit to 76-71 with about five minutes left to play.

The difference remained five points at 78-73 and 81-76. Sitter converted an and-one for three more points, which had the Gators within two possessions of the Cougars and just over three minutes on the clock. Alas, Chatham responded with an and-one of its own on its next scoring possession, and the play helped spark a 9-0 run that allowed the Cougars to seal the victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny made 16-of-31 field goals in both halves of Sunday's contest, resulting in a 51.6 field-goal percentage.
• Chatham was near-perfect from the foul line with 18 makes on 20 attempts (90.0%).
• Both teams took care of the ball, as the two offenses combined for only 15 turnovers.
• The Cougars crashed the boards well and finished with a 43-to-30 advantage in rebounds.
• Both of Allegheny's top scorers came off the bench, as Wilder and Sitter each netted 17 points.
• Sitter paced all Gators from the foul line by making 6-of-7 free throws.
• Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) added 15 points, and Mike Noonan (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) was not far behind with 13.
• All five Chatham starters played at least 32 minutes against the Gators, and all five scored in double figures.
• Simon Boyer led all scorers with a game-high 25 points.

News and Notes

• Allegheny suffered its first home loss of the season and is 4-1 inside the Wise Center this winter.
• The Cougars increased their slim lead in the series against Allegheny, 4-2.
• Sitter finished one point shy of his single-game career-high, as he logged 18 points out against Penn State Shenango last time.
• Wilder has reached double figures in 10 of 11 games played this season.
• Noonan tied a career-high with 13 points.

Up Next
Allegheny returns to action on Wednesday, January 3, when the Gators visit Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.