MEADVILLE, Pa. – A dominating effort on the glass fueled a second-half comeback for Denison as the Big Red salvaged a split in the season series with Allegheny. Paced by Dimonde's Hale team-high 13, five players scored at least nine points as Denison picked up a 68-65 victory at the David V. Wise Center.

There were six lead changes and nine ties in Saturday's North Coast Athletic Conference tilt, while most of the back-and-forth action took place during a frenetic last 10 minutes of play.

A three by Kyle Murphy, who was making his first career start, and a pair of free throws by Devone McLeod, put Allegheny ahead, 45-35, with 13 minutes left in regulation. Hale dropped in eight straight points for the Big Red and sparked a 12-2 run that leveled the score with just under nine minutes to go. For the rest of the game, neither team would lead by more than a single possession.

Trailing 64-61 with 58 seconds left on the clock, Murphy pulled the Gators even with his third three of the afternoon. Larry Farmer, who converted just 2-of-13 from the floor, slammed home a two-handed dunk along the baseline to put Denison back in front. The Gators worked for a clean look at the other end, but sophomore Ryan Stanko's jumper from the top of the key rimmed out with 13 seconds left and Alex Longi pulled down the decisive defensive rebound.

The Big Red sealed the victory at the charity stripe, where after missing the second of two attempts, they picked up another offensive board to deny Allegheny a game-tying possession.

McLeod enjoyed a strong second half and closed as the game's leading scorer with 21 points.  Senior James Ness also played well, authoring one of his most efficient performances of the season. Ness scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while adding seven boards and a career-high four blocks.

The Gators outscored Denison in the second half and once again played well enough to win, but the Blue and Gold yielded a 43-25 advantage on the glass, including 18 offensive rebounds. That disparity ultimately proved to be the difference, and helped off-set a defensive effort that forced five steals and totaled a season-high seven blocks.

Allegheny had just eight giveaways while turning the Big Red over 13 times, although the team finished 7-of-22 from three-point range and received a season-low five points off the bench.

Although Farmer struggled with his shot, he was tremendous on the boards where he hauled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Longi, Mike Garabedian, and Bret Woolard each added nine points for the Denison offense, while Longi also dished out a game-best six assists.

Denison's largest lead of the game was eight points late in the first half, but Clark Tritto converted a traditional three-point play for the Gators to cap the scoring and Allegheny went to the locker room down, 31-26. The Gators opened the second frame by scoring seven of the first nine points before orchestrating a big run that led to their largest lead of the game.