MEADVILLE, Pa. – Paced by Wes Smith's game-high 32 points, nationally-ranked No. 7 Wabash methodically powered to an 80-58 victory over Allegheny at the David V. Wise Center on Saturday. The Little Giants scored 27 points on turnovers while improving their offensive efficiency throughout the second half.

Allegheny (5-11, 2-6 NCAC) surged to a 10-6 lead five minutes into the game following consecutive three's by Seth Eisner and Devone McLeod. The Little Giants (14-1, 6-1) quickly pulled even although the score remained tight throughout the first part of the frame. After canning a jumper from the baseline, Donte Briscoe put the Gators ahead, 20-19, on a sweet dish to rookie Bobby Theiss. With 7:55 showing on the board, Curosh responded with a basket in the paint that put Wabash in front for the rest of the game.

Smith was the driving force behind the Wabash attack. He added six steals, five rebounds and two assists to his strong scoring output while turning five of those forced turnovers into 10 fast-break points for the Little Giants. Nick Curosh was the only other Wabash player to reach double figures in scoring, closing 6-of-6 from the field en route to 14 points.

McLeod scored 17 points to lead Allegheny, which trailed 39-30 at halftime. McLeod bucketed a three to pull the Blue and Gold within seven, but the Gators were unable to pull any closer over the final 17 minutes. The Wabash lead hovered around 10 points until the 13-minute mark of the second half, where an 8-0 run fueled by three straight turnovers stretched the deficit to 20.

James Ness added 10 points and nine rebounds to the Allegheny effort while Eisner and Briscoe each chipped in nine points. Briscoe also had two steals, seven boards and five assists.

NOTES: Allegheny was incredibly efficient in its offense picking up 13 assists on its first 14 field goals…The 22 turnovers for Allegheny is one short of the season high set in the opening game of the year…after surrendering 10 steals in a game twice through the first 14 games, Allegheny has given up 10 in each of the last two games…D'Andre Corbin had a bittersweet performance as he matched career highs in assists (8) and turnovers (7).