STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- Allegheny College men's basketball team defeated Franciscan University in a must-win Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 84-71.

As the Gators (8-13, 6-10 PAC) fight their way back into the PAC postseason picture in the final games of the regular season, Saturday's victory is a big step in the right direction. In order to punch its ticket, Allegheny will need to leapfrog Franciscan (13-9, 8-9 PAC), who sits directly above the Blue and Gold in the standings with the sixth and final playoff spot.

The Barons led for approximately 30 seconds after scoring the opening basket. But from there, the Gators took control and never looked back. Allegheny led by as many as 24 points in the first half and never let the deficit fall back into single digits in the second half.

The early run was sparked from 3-point range, as the Gators scored 15 points on five treys as part of a 23-5 run. James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions before Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch), Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)), and Isaiah Portis (Medina, Ohio/Norwayne) joined the shooting spree. Allegheny's fifth starter, Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles), scored the team's last seven points of the early rally, extending the lead to 41-17 with just under four minutes left in the opening half.

Lang's 3-point field goal at the 13:14 mark not only padded the Allegheny lead but added the junior guard into the record books. He entered the contest needing only four points to reach 1,000 in his career and hit 1,001 on his second bucket of the afternoon. Lang finished with 17 points, tied for the second-most on the team, as the entire starting five all reached double figures.

Inside the Box Score

• The Gators shot 56.3% overall (27-of-48), 42.9% (9-of-21) from 3-point range, and 72.4% (21-of-29) from the foul line.
• Allegheny's starting quintet accounted for 82 of the team's 84 points.
• Sitter, who didn't miss a shot of any kind, led the way with 18 points.
• Sitter finished 5-of-5 from the field with four 3-pointers and made all four foul shots.
• Lang and Portis each scored 17 points.
• Perry provided 16 points and a team-high three blocks.
• Barker stuffed the box score with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
• Off the bench, first-year center Paulo Cesar (Brasília, Brazil/DME Academy (Fla.)) hauled in a team-high eight rebounds with two points, one assist, one steal, and one block.
• Sawyer Butler was Franciscan's leading scorer with 22 points.
• Although Butler was 9-of-12 (75.0%) from the free-throw line, his teammates were a mere 8-of-20 (40.0%) from the line.

News and Notes

• Allegheny improved to 8-13 overall and 6-10 against PAC opponents.
• The Gators and Barons, who occupy the sixth spot in the standings, split their two-game series this winter.
• Allegheny's 84 points and 56.3 field-goal percentage are both the second-best the team has recorded in a game this season.
• Lang is the 33rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

Up Next
Allegheny travels to second-place Washington and Jefferson College on Wednesday, February 12, for an 8:00 p.m. matchup against the Presidents.