NEW CONCORD, Ohio -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team came alive late in the second half and toughed out a 65-57 comeback victory over Muskingum University on the road Tuesday evening.

Trailing by eight at the intermission, the visiting Gators (3-6) outscored the Fighting Muskies (5-5) 40-24 in the second half. However, almost all of those second-half points were scored in the last 12 minutes. Despite a nearly seven-minute-long scoring drought, a resilient Allegheny team closed the contest with a gutsy performance en route to the win.

James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) halted the scoreless streak with a 3-pointer just inside the 12-minute mark of the second half, bringing the Gators within six points of the Muskies, 38-32. Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) scored the following four points to bring Allegheny within two points at 38-36, but Muskingum extended its advantage back to seven points and led 47-40 with 7:13 to play.

Isaiah Portis (Medina, Ohio/Norwayne) drained a corner three after an excellent pass from Sitter, which reduced the deficit to just one point, 49-48. Portis then made two critical plays to steal the ball from the Muskies on their next possession before earning another steal on a jump-ball tie-up on the offensive end of the court. The second-chance opportunity led to the first of two consecutive and-ones from Barker.

The and-one conversions capped off a 9-0 run that turned a four-point Muskingum lead into a five-point advantage for the Gators at 49-45. They were also the start of an extraordinary finish by Allegheny's senior guard. After being held without a point in the first half, Barker scored 18 in the second stanza, 10 of which came within the last five minutes. He also dished out an assist on a Sitter trey with 85 seconds remaining that all but sealed the win for the Gators.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny finished 20-of-47 (42.6%) from the floor, 9-of-19 (47.4%) from 3-point range, and 16-of-17 (94.1%) from the line.
• Muskingum's offense was 23-of-70 (32.9%) overall, 4-of-29 (13.8%) from beyond the arc, and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from the charity stripe.
• After being held to 29 points for the first 28 minutes, the Gators scored 36 points in the last 12 minutes of the game.
• All of Barker's 18 points came during the second-half comeback, which included a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the foul line.
• Sitter led all Gators with 26 points, highlighted by six 3-pointers.
• Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) also reached double figures with 13 points.
• Portis scored six points while grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Muskingum's Duane Davis led all scorers with a game-high 30 points.

News and Notes

• Tuesday's matchup was only the third all-time between Allegheny and Muskingum in a series that began in 1928.
• The Gators lead the all-time series, 2-1, earning their first win over the Fighting Muskies since the 2001-02 season.
• Allegheny's 47.4 3-point field-goal percentage against Muskingum was a season-high, and the Gators have shot above 40.0% from deep in back-to-back outings.
• Sitter's 26 points and six treys were both single-game career-highs for the junior forward.
• Barker has made 25 consecutive free throws dating back to Allegheny's 70-59 win over Waynesburg University on December 7.
• Portis' 11 rebounds are a single-game career-high for the third-year guard.

Up Next
Allegheny concludes its non-conference schedule on Friday, December 20, when the Gators host the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg at 1:00 p.m.