WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Allegheny College men's basketball wrapped up the 2023-24 season with a 96-91 road loss against the Presidents of Washington and Jefferson College on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators (6-19, 4-16 PAC) played a spirited 40 minutes in the regular-season finale despite the loss. Five different players reached double figures, and 10 of the 11 Gators who checked into the contest added their names to the scoring column.

Allegheny held the lead at various points in both halves. With the score tied 8-8 early on, Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) helped the Gators go on a 6-0 run to pull ahead 14-8. Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) buried a 3-pointer at 9:02 to put the Gators ahead 28-27, their last lead of the first half, as the Presidents (9-16, 8-12 PAC) entered the half up 48-44.

Down by as many as 10 within the first four minutes of the second half, Allegheny responded with a remarkable run. Senior forward Mike Noonan (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) sparked the comeback attempt. Noonan scored 10 of his 12 points in a five-minute span after checking in at the 14:24 mark. Once on the court, he scored the next six points for the Gators and then put Allegheny up for the first time in the second half at 71-70. 

Tied at 78-all, Trey Williams (Hudson, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) started an eight-point run with a 3-point bucket. Perry then slammed a highlight-reel dunk on a transition play that began with a quarterback-like Hail Mary pass from Wilder.

Down 86-78, W&J rallied from behind with a 15-0 run of its own over the next six minutes to secure the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Not afraid to shoot the deep ball, Allegheny and W&J combined for 69 3-point attempts with 24 makes.
• Allegheny shot 43.0% (37-of-86), while the Presidents made 45.5% (35-of-77) of their field goals.
• Both teams had 13 offensive rebounds, but Washington and Jefferson finished with a 53-to-45 advantage on the boards.
• Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) paced Allegheny with 18 points, followed by Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) with 14.
• Lang and Turk both dished out a team-leading four assists.
• Wilder and Noonan each scored 12 points, and Wilder added a dozen rebounds for a double-double.
• Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) also reached double-digit points with 10.
• Washington and Jefferson was led by Nick Gearhart, who logged a game-high 21 points.

News and Notes

• Lang recorded double-digit points for the 15th time in his sophomore season.
• Wilder's double-double marked his sixth of the year.
• Turk was one point shy of his single-game season-high with his third 14-point performance of the season.
• Noonan scored double figures for the fourth time this season and the fifth time in his career.