MEADVILLE, Pa. – Capitalizing on a near-perfect start, Hiram completed the season sweep of Allegheny with a 72-57 victory in NCAC men's basketball action at the David V. Wise Center on Wednesday night. The Terriers converted 12 of their first 14 shots including seven three's and were never really tested despite the Gators' commitment to keep it competitive throughout the tilt.

Trailing 69-37 with 11:38 left in regulation, Allegheny (5-16, 2-12 NCAC) closed the game with a 20-3 scoring run. Head coach Jim Driggs made the most of a dismal start by digging deep down the Allegheny bench looking to find the right combination of players to orchestrate a spirited finish. A season high 11 players scored for the Gators as both teams completely emptied their bench in the final five minutes. The Blue and Gold won that battle by scoring the last 12 points of the evening.

The game couldn't have started any better for Hiram head coach Steve Fleming. The Terriers knocked down seven of their first eight three-point attempts and led 35-11 eight minutes after the opening tip. Hiram, which rotated 10 bodies in the first half while supplying intense full-court pressure, shot a blistering 70.4% (19-of-27) from the field. Although the Terries entered the game shooting just 32% from deep on the season, the visitors buried the Gators early with a barrage of outside bombs that never failed to hit their mark. Allegheny outscored Hiram, 16-15, during the final eight minutes of the half, although Hiram took a 52-29 lead into the break.

In addition to Hiram's impressive performance from the perimeter, the Terriers also forced Allegheny into a season-high 27 turnovers.  The Gators were led by junior James Ness, who scored 11 points on 6-of-8 shooting while adding three blocks and six boards.

The Terriers were paced by Andrew Wiegand and Aaron Stefanov, who triggered the offensive explosion at the start and finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

NOTES: Donte Briscoe led all players with nine rebounds…rookie Marco Corona pulled down a career-high five rebounds in seven minutes of action…sophomore Kyle Murphy has scored at least five points in four of his last six appearances after never scoring more than three in a game…freshman Sean Danaher scored a career-best four points in five minutes of work…in stark contrast to its amazing start, Hiram shot 6-of-32 (18.8%) in the second half.