MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College men's basketball came up short with a three-point loss to Bethany College, 84-81, in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup inside the David V. Wise Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators (6-10, 4-7 PAC) carried a nine-point lead, 43-34, into the locker room at halftime. In the opening 20 minutes, Allegheny shot 51.5% from the field (16-of-31) while consistently driving to the rim for high-percentage shots. The second half, however, turned into a 3-point shooting spree. While the Gators found some success from beyond the arc, their luck ran dry down the stretch.

Both teams combined for 50 attempts from beyond the arc in the second half alone. For more than five straight minutes from the 12:48 mark to 7:29, every shot on both ends of the court was a 3-pointer. Allegheny, which took only 11 treys in the first half, made 9-of-28 (32.1%) shots from deep in the second stanza. But eight of those nine makes came in the first 13-and-a-half minutes; after a Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) 3-pointer gave the Gators a 76-70 lead with 6:46 to go, Allegheny finished a mere 1-of-12 from deep.

After trailing for more than 29 consecutive minutes,  Bethany (6-9, 1-9 PAC)) went on an 11-0 run that turned Allegheny's 76-70 advantage into a five-point lead for the Bison.

Despite scoring only five points in the last six-plus minutes, the Gators had a chance to force overtime. After being fouled on a 3-point try, Barker converted his first two free throws to bring the Gators within three points at 84-81. His third foul shot was off the mark, but the officials awarded Allegheny the ball after the contested rebound went out of bounds. Barker attempted the potential tying trey under heavy pressure from the defense and Bethany's Bryson Bishop got just enough of the ball to preserve the Bison victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Shooting percentages were nearly identical, as Allegheny shot 43.3% (29-of-67) while Bethany finished 31-of-71 (43.7%).
• The Gators made 12-of-39 (30.8%) 3-point field goals, and the Bison were good on 14-of-47 (29.8%) shots from beyond the arc.
• Bethany won the rebound battle, 46-to-37, and used 18 offensive boards to score 26 second-chance points.
• Allegheny's starting five was responsible for all 81 points, and four starters scored double-digit points.
• Barker netted a game-high 26 points with four assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
• Juniors Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) and James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) each scored 17 points.
• Lang added a game-best six assists, while Sitter's five 3-pointers tied the game-high.
• Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
• Isaiah Portis (Medina, Ohio/Norwayne) hauled in a team-leading nine rebounds while scoring six points.
• Ryan Reasbeck and Cole Dailey both logged double-doubles for Bethany.
• Reasbeck scored 21 points with 10 rebounds, while Dailey recorded 15 points with 13 boards.

News and Notes

• Allegheny's offense surpassed the 80-point mark for the third time this season.
• With 12 3-point makes against the Bison, the Gators finished just one shy of their single-game high in 2024-25.
• Allegheny tied a season-high with 17 assists, matching the 17 dimes dished out against Pitt-Greensburg on December 20.
• The win was Bethany's first in Meadville since November 15, 2011.
• Barker scored 20-plus points for the eighth time in 16 games as a senior.

Up Next
The Gators will travel to Pittsburgh to face Chatham University in a PAC showdown on Saturday, January 25, at 2:00 p.m.