WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team rallied all the way back from a 13-point deficit in the second half but couldn't complete the comeback in a 66-60 loss against Albion College during the second round of Otterbein University's Smokey Ballenger Classic.
Although the Gators (3-8) led for most of the first half, the Britons (7-4) marched out of the locker room and quickly turned a 3-point halftime advantage into their largest lead of the contest at 39-26. Albion held Allegheny scoreless for nearly five minutes to start the second half before
Pijus Latauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Kiski Prep (Pa.)) halted the drought with a 3-pointer.
Latauskas' triple started an Allegheny run that guided the Gators all the way back over the next five minutes. Senior
Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) and freshman
Lincoln Brockmeyer (Akron, Ohio/Copley) also buried 3-pointers during the 18-5 run, and Brockmeyer converted a pair of three throws to tie the score at 44-44 The score remained tied at 46-, 49-, and 51-all, before the Britons snagged the lead for good.
Allegheny trailed by just a single point, 58-57, at the under four-minute media timeout. However, its next possession ended on a shot-clock violation after a blocked 3-point attempt, one of three costly turnovers in the last four minutes. Although the Gators made three of their four foul shots in that span, they were unable to score a field goal to close the gap in the final minutes.
Inside the Box Score
- Allegheny shot 18-of-48 overall (37.5%) and relied heavily on the deep ball with 31 shots from 3-point range.
- On the other hand, Albion finished 25-of-61 (41.0%) and netted 42 of their 66 points from the paint.
- The Gators finished with a slight lead in assists (11-to-9) and blocks (3-to-2).
- Latauskas ended a rebound shy of a double-double with team highs in points (19) and rebounds (9).
- Brockmeyer made a team-high three 3-pointers en route to 13 points.
- Lang logged 10 points, five rebounds, and a team-best four assists.
- James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) added eight points, followed by Eli Teslovich (Belle Vernon, Pa./Shady Side Academy) with six.
- Albion senior forward Kameron Mayes led all players with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
News and Notes
- Allegheny and Albion met for just the third time and the first since 1984.
- Latauskas and Lang both reached double-digits for the ninth time this season.
- Brockmeyer tied a season-high with 13 points against the Britons.
Up Next
The Gators will ring in the new year on the road at Thiel College on Wednesday, January 7, at 7:30 p.m.
