MEADVILLE, Pa. - Allegheny senior Josh Valentic scored a career-high 28 points, while the Gators out-scored visiting Alma 15-5 over the final eight minutes of play, to win 77-67 on the opening night of the Greg Richards '08 Memorial Tournament at the David V. Wise Center.

While the Gator offense shot a blistering 61 percent (26-for-43) from the floor, including a 19-for-29 showing over the final 20 minutes, it was the team's defense that made the difference, as Allegheny limited Alma to just two field goals over the final 8:10 of regulation to turn a 62-62 tie into a 10-point victory.

Valentic narrowly missed the double-double, adding nine rebounds to his 28 points, and was joined in double figures by Clark Tritto, who scored 12 points, going 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.  D'Andre Corbin and John O'Donnell each added nine points, with Corbin chipping in with a game-high seven assists.

The team's offenses were on display in the early stages of the game, as the squads combined for 30 points - with Allegheny leading 16-14 - just six minutes into play, as O'Donnell hit a pair of threes and Corbin a pair of lay ups over the span.

The teams would continue to trade buckets over the next several minutes, with O'Donnell's third trey of the half giving the Gators a 20-19 lead with nine minutes left until the intermission.  Alma would counter with an 11-5 run over the next five minutes to take a 30-25 advantage, before the Gators entered the locker room with the momentum.

A pair of lay ups from freshman Evan Zabriski would bring the Gators to within three, 34-31, with three minutes left, before Valentic scored six points over the final 75 seconds of the half to send the game into intermission tied at 37.

The back-and-forth theme would continue throughout much of the second half.  The Gators scored the first four points of the frame with a pair of free throws from Valentic and a jumper from Tritto, before Alma answered back with a quick 9-2 run to regain a 46-43 lead with 16:30 left. 

The Scots would eventually increase their lead to 56-51 with just over 12 minutes to go, before a bucket from Marco Corona, sandwiched between a pair of Valentic jumpers, put the Gators back in front 58-56.  A three-pointer by Alma's DJ Beckman put the Scots in front 62-60 with 8:15 remaining, but it would be the final lead of the night for the visitors, as Valentic scored six points in a 40-second span to push Allegheny in front 70-62 at the five-minute mark.  Alma pulled to within five, 72-67, on a Tyler Walden three with 1:50 left, but free throws from Corona, Valentic, and Brandon Smith over the final minute of play would seal the Gator win.  Over the decisive final six minutes of play, Allegheny held Alma to just a 2-for-13 mark from the floor, compared to a 4-for-6 mark from the Gators.

Alma saw four players in double figures, with Isiah Law and Scott Nickodemski each scoring 15, Brendon Krause 12, and Beckman 11, but the Scots were done in at the foul line, going just 9-for-17 compared to a 16-for-30 showing from the Gators.   Allegheny also owned a 37-30 advantage on the boards, with Tritto and Corona each pulling in seven boards to go with Valentic's nine.  Tritto enjoyed a solid all-around night, adding a team-high three steals to his 12 points and seven boards.

The Gators will look to open the season at 2-0 for a second straight year tomorrow night, hosting Adrian College at 6 p.m. at the David V. Wise Center to close out the men's portion of the Greg Richards '08 Memorial Tournament.   The opening men's action of the day begins at 2 p.m., with Alma facing John Carroll.