PITTSBURGH -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with an 82-57 victory over Carlow University thanks to a strong first-half performance on Wednesday night.

Allegheny (1-0) kicked off the evening with 15 unanswered points over the first six minutes of the contest against the Celtics (0-2). The Gators maintained their torrid pace throughout the entire first half and built a looming 54-14 lead before the intermission. Carlow struggled to find any luck on the offensive end and only made four of its 27 field-goal attempts in the half. Defensively, the Gators recorded 10 steals and three blocks in the opening half, which led to 18 fast-break points and 16 points off turnovers.

First-year forward Pijus Latauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Kiski Prep (Pa.)) gave the Gators a lead they'd never relinquish with two foul shots on their first possession. Allegheny's first two field goals both came from beyond the arc, as James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) and Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) buried 3-pointers during the early run. The exclamation point of the 15-point rally came when Sitter intercepted a Carlow pass and fed the ball ahead to Latauskas, and the 6-foot-8 forward slammed the ball into the basket with a one-handed dunk.

With a comfortable lead in hand, head coach Pat Sullivan deployed all of Allegheny's reserves in the second half. Eleven of the 16 players who appeared in the opener scored, while a dozen different Gators either dished out an assist or grabbed a rebound. 

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny outscored Carlow by 40 points in the first half, 54-14, including a 15-0 run to open the game.
• The Celtics were held to four field goals, a 14.8 shooting percentage, and committed 16 turnovers in the first half.
• Despite a poor start, the hosts managed to make the final score more respectable by shooting 62.9% (17-of-27) in the second half.
• The Gators controlled the glass with a 51-to-38 advantage in rebounds.
• Of the 16 players who saw action against Carlow, 11 scored at least two points.
• Lang led the way with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (64.3%).
• Latauskas scored 12 points with seven rebounds and a team-high two blocks.
• Devon Lewis (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury School) poured in 10 points, including a 4-for-4 showing from the foul line.
• Transfer guard Eli Teslovich (Belle Vernon, Pa./Shady Side Academy) scored eight points, while Sitter, Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles), and Lincoln Brockmeyer (Akron, Ohio/Copley) each finished with six.
• Brockmeyer also led the team with eight rebounds.
• Tomasi Pavihi was the only Carlow player to reach double figures with 11 points.

News and Notes

• Allegheny won its season-opener for the first time since defeating Fredonia State, 94-53, in the first game of the 2022-23 campaign.
• Wednesday's matchup was the first-ever between Allegheny and Carlow.
• Latauskas and fellow freshman Owen Maddalon (Cranberry Township, Pa./North Catholic), who finished with four points and six rebounds, were featured in the starting lineup in their collegiate debuts.
• In addition to Lataskas, Maddalon, and Brockmeyer, freshman forward Max Wallace (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) also scored his first collegiate points in his nine minutes off the bench.
• Lang moved into 24th place in program history for career points with 1,087, surpassing Josh Valentic '15 (1,068) and Ryan Stanko '14 (1,071).

Up Next
On Saturday, November 15, the Gators will visit the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg for a 2 p.m. matchup in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.