MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) and the Allegheny College men's basketball team shook off a two-game skid on Wednesday night by cruising to a 97-74 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over the visiting Chatham University Cougars.

With two games remaining in the 2022-23 regular season, the Gators (15-8, 13-5 PAC) notched another important conference win as they look to secure a top seed in the upcoming PAC Championship Tournament. Allegheny remains a half-game out of first place behind Washington and Jefferson College (16-6, 13-4 PAC) while splitting its two-game season series with the Cougars (11-11, 10-7 PAC).

Wilder, who was one of five Gators in double figures, was a one-man rebounding machine. The third-year forward hauled in a career-high 18 boards, three times as many as the next closest player. Wilder added 18 points to produce his eighth double-double of the year.

It was a tight first half, as the Gators led 39-33 at the break, and it was only a five-point difference when Chatham's Isaiah Smith received a flagrant foul for grabbing Luke Barker's (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) jersey on an inbounding play. It was a turning point for Allegheny, as Barker made both free throws and added a 3-point bucket on the following possession to extend the lead to 57-47 in a span of 12 seconds.

Barker's foul shots kickstarted what resulted in an 11-point run for the Gators. By the time the Cougars ended their two-and-a-half-minute drought, it was too little, too late, as all the momentum swung firmly in Allegheny's favor.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny shot 67.7% (21-of-31) in the second half and 58.3% (35-of-60) for the contest.
• Chatham finished with a 39.0 field-goal percentage (30-of-77).
• The Gators grabbed more rebounds, 40-to-31, but the Cougars committed fewer turnovers, 15-to-9.
• Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-12 (75.0%) shooting.
• Wilder added two assists, one block, and one steal to his 18-point, 18-rebound double-double.
• Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) added 14 points with five assists.
• Barker scored 13, while Caden Hinckley (Boise, Idaho/Mt. Lebanon) netted 12 with a team-high six assists.
• Marcos Cintron paced Chatham with 21 points.

News and Notes

• The all-time series between the Gators and Cougars is tied at 2-2 after the two teams split their series in 2022-23.
• Allegheny earned its 15th win on Wednesday, the most in a single season since the Gators went 16-12 in 2002-03.
• The Allegheny offense surpassed 90 points for the eighth time this winter after shooting a season-high 58.3%.
• Lang scored 20-plus points for the fifth time as a freshman.
• Wilder's 18 rebounds are one more than his previous season-high from an 81-61 win over Bethany College on January 18.
• Wes Kropp (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills), who was 3-for-3 from the field with a successful 3-pointer, scored a season-high seven points in 12 minutes off the bench.

Up Next
The last road game of the regular season brings Allegheny to Grove City, Pennsylvania, for a PAC showdown against the Grove City College Wolverines on Saturday, February 11, at 3:00 p.m.