GROVE CITY, Pa. – Four different players contributed double-digit scoring efforts in Allegheny's 79-53 season opening win against Grove City College on Tuesday night in Grove City. The Gators' (1-0, 0-0 NCAC) distributed scoring output highlighted the depth that the team will possess as the season progresses as three of the four top scorers came off the bench.
2009-10 All-NCAC First Team selection Jill Gregory picked up where she left off last season as she led Gators with 16 points. The senior guard provided an offensive spark off the bench in the first half as she went for 12 points in the opening 20 minutes. For the game, Gregory shot 50% from the floor going 7-14, including a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc. Rookie Erica Restich made her collegiate debut and proved to be a physical presence near the paint as she collected 13 points off of 5-10 shooting from the floor. Another rookie with an impressive debut was Saddie Gravatt. The Franklin, Pa. native had a flawless night of shooting, collecting 10 points, she knocked down the three shots she took from the floor, two of which she hit from downtown, and was a perfect 2-2 from the charity stripe. Senior Laura Magnelli was the only starter with 10-plus points.
The Gators never trailed in the game after they got on the board first with sophomore forward Heidi Goellerknocking down two free-throws in the opening minute. The Wolverines (0-1, 0-0 PAC) kept the margin as close as two on several occasions throughout the first half, but with the game at 10-8 in favor of the Gators, they went on a 11-0 run to push the lead to 13 at 21-8. The Gators would enjoy a double-digit lead the rest of the first half, with the largest lead being 19 points towards the end of the first half. Allegheny held a 38-21 lead into the break.
The beginning of the second half saw the Gators fall into an offensive lull. The Wolverines came out and went on a 13-6 run to close gap to 10 points (44-34) with 15:05 left in the second half. The early push by the Wolverines would be the closest they would draw the deficit to as the Gators offense got back into gear and began to build on their lead. With the game in hand, Allegheny opened up their lead by as much as 28 in the second half.
One of the keys to the Gators success throughout the game was slowing down the Wolverines' best scoring threat Christine Slater, who averaged 16.0 points per game last year as a junior for Grove City. Slater was only able to muster nine points for the game was held to only two during the first half.
Daryl Ford and Goeller each chipped in eight points as starters, and Ann Ryan led the team with eight boards while adding seven points of her own.
Next up for the Gators will be the Allegheny Invitational this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The women will play host to Alfred University, Marietta College, and Waynesburg College in a four-team invitational. The Blue and Gold kick off the weekend slate of games as they play Marietta College Friday night with tip-off at 6:00 pm. Live stats can be followed for each and every home game this season through the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/allegheny/wbball/index.htm