Jan. 28 – HIRAM, Ohio – Led by an 11 point, 22 rebound double-double from junior Kelvin Jones, the Hiram College men's basketball team upended Allegheny College 69-57 on Saturday afternoon in Price Gymnasium.

The Terriers (8-10, 5-6 NCAC), trailed just once in the game as Allegheny held a 4-2 advantage in the early stages. Hiram would quickly surge ahead, however, getting back-to-back threes from Jeremiah Thomas and Paul Ortiz to go up 8-4 with 17:09 to play.

After the Gators pulled the game within two points (10-8), Hiram embarked on a 10-2 run to push the lead to 20-10 at the 9:50 mark. Four points from Joe Caspio and two more threes by Ortiz provided all the scoring in the run that put Hiram up double digits.

The Terrier lead would grow to as many as 14 in the opening 20 minutes, as a steal and fast-break layup by Thomas put Hiram ahead 34-20 with 4:35 to play.

The Gators would respond before the half, outscoring the Terriers 12-6 over the final four minutes to trim the gap to eight (40-32) at the break.

Hiram suffocated the Allegheny offense in the opening half, forcing eight Gator turnovers which led to a 15-5 advantage. The Terriers posted seven steals in the frame, getting two apiece from Jones and Marcel Rice.

The Terriers, and in particular, Jones, would wear the Gators out on the boards in the second half. Hiram outrebounded Allegheny 28-17 in the closing 20 minutes, including 16 boards from the junior post player. Jones finished the game with a career-best 22 in the outing, coming four shy of the school record.

The second-half lead was trimmed to single digits just twice in the closing stanza. Allegheny closed the gap to 46-37 with 16:29 to play, before the Terriers embarked on an 11-1 run to expand the lead to 19 (57-38).

The senior class played a huge role in the second-half run as Thomas led the run off with a three. Kyle Deckerd also knocked down a pair of triples, while Caspio added two free throws to help extend the advantage.

Allegheny would whittle the lead back to nine points just one more time, before the game settled on the 12-point Terrier advantage. Terrence Warren kept the Gators at bay, going 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final minutes.

Defensively, the Terriers kept the Gators off the three-point line, which contributed to the victory. Allegheny came into the game ranked second in the NCAC in three pointers made (162), but were held to just 2-of-19 shooting from beyond the arc. Additionally, Hiram held the Gators to just 25 second-half points.

Five players finished in double figures for the Terriers, including Jones, who tallied his ninth double-double of the season. Warren, Thomas and Ortiz all shared the team lead with 12 points, while Caspio added 10 and Deckerd, eight.

As a team, Hiram outrebounded Allegheny 47-35, pulling down a season-high 20 offensive rebounds. Jones led the way on the offensive glass, matching his career high with nine offensive caroms.

The Terriers will be back in action on Monday, January 30, as they play host to Oberlin College in their second game of a four-game home stand. The matchup is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.