MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny men's basketball team battled past Geneva for a 79-70 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory in Meadville Wednesday (Jan. 28).
The teams went back-and-forth during the opening portion of the game with neither side leading by more than four points. A
Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) three pointer midway through the frame would give Allegheny a 22-17 advantage right before the media timeout. The three pointer started a 7-0 run that extended the Allegheny lead to 26-17 minutes later. Geneva responded with a 4-0 run to cut the lead back down to five points with under four minutes remaining. In the final minutes of the half, Geneva cut the lead down to one, but
Pijus Latauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania/Kiski Prep (Pa.)) converted a traditional three-point play in the closing minute to give the Gators a 30-26 lead entering the halftime break.
After the Golden Tornadoes opened the second half with a three, the Gators rattled off a quick 5-2 run. The back-and-forth nature of the game continued as the teams traded runs over the next several minutes with Allegheny leading 46-40 at the second media timeout.
The Gators' lead would reach as much as 14, 64-48, over the next couple minutes as they continued to shoot well in the second half.
In the last five minutes of the game, the Gators' lead grew to a game-high of 15 points as they closed out the PAC contest with a win.
Inside the Box
- Lang ended the game with a team-high 20 points, just missing a double-double with nine rebounds. He also dished out six assists.
- Latauskis finished with 19 points and four rebounds.
- James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview) scored 14 points while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds for the double-double.
- Eli Teslovich (Belle Vernon, Pa./Shady Side Academy) was the fourth Gator in double figures with a season-high 11 points.
- Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) had seven points while Max Wallace (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) added six.
- The Gators held a 33-28 edge in rebounding.
News and Notes
- Allegheny is now 56-45 all-time against Geneva after splitting the regular season series.
- The Gators had their third best night shooting of the season, and tops in conference play, hitting 30-of-59 shots from the floor (50.8%). In the second half, they shot 64.3% (18-of-28).
Up Next
The Gators are back on the road Saturday (Jan. 31) when they travel to Bethany. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm.