MEADVILLE, Pa. – Ohio Wesleyan completed the season sweep of Allegheny at the David V. Wise Center on Saturday, although the Gators tested the streaking Bishops before falling, 69-61, in North Coast Athletic Conference action. The charity stripe provided just that for a red-hot OWU club as the Bishops capitalized on 23 personal fouls against the Blue and Gold en route to the eight-point win.
Ohio Wesleyan (12-8, 8-3 NCAC), fresh off its stunning victory over nationally-ranked No. 11 Wabash, appeared to be in complete control after a lay-up by Marshall Morris resulted in a 40-27 lead with 16 minutes left in regulation. Looking to ignite a spark in the Gator offense, head coach Jim Driggs turned to his bench to pull Allegheny (5-14, 2-9) back in contention. Freshman Ryan Stanko served as the catalyst in the comeback bid as consecutive three's slashed the deficit to seven with 13 minutes left to play.
On their ensuing possession, the Gators had a chance to pull even closer but despite three cracks at the basket, Allegheny was unable to convert while a run-out following the third miss resulted in a fast-break score for the Battling Bishops. For the rest of the game, the Gators were forced to play catch-up as OWU was able to match Allegheny's production. Trailing 49-37, the Gators once again slashed the advantage to seven following a reverse lay-up by James Ness and a three off the hand of Donte Briscoe. While Morris triggered another surge to expand the lead to 15, the Gators worked the deficit back to seven following a two-handed dunk by Ness. Unfortunately, Allegheny ran out of time as Ohio Wesleyan held on for its eighth straight win in a streak that dates back to December 28.
The Gators deployed a sound offensive strategy by relying on Ness' improving skill in the paint to lead the attack. The junior forward scored a game-high 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. Devone McLeod was the only other player to register double figures, although he closed the day with his lowest offensive output at home since early December. Ryan Stanko dropped in eight points, all in the second half, while Kyle Murphy added two early three's after earning his second consecutive start.
Tim Brady scored 17 of his 19 points in the opening period before yielding to Morris to lead the Battling Bishops in the second half. Morris was without question the player of the game after scoring 20 points and hauling in a game-best 15 boards. Neither team shot particularly well on Saturday, although OWU benefitted from 11 additional free throw attempts and eight more makes.
Briscoe struggled from the floor in his first action in 14 days, although the junior wing tied a career-high with six steals while tying Ness for the team lead with eight rebounds.