MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The second-seeded Allegheny College men's basketball team held on for a dramatic quarterfinal victory in the 2022-23 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament against seventh-seeded Saint Vincent College, 79-74.

The postseason win is monumental, as Tuesday's triumph marks Allegheny's first since the 2008-09 campaign.

The Gators (18-8) will now host Thiel College (13-11), who upset No. 3-seeded Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, 99-84. The semifinal matchup between Allegheny and the Tomcats is set for Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. inside the David V. Wise Center.

After breaking a 12-12 tie with consecutive 3-pointers from Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) and Isaiah Portis (Medina, Ohio/Norwayne) midway through the first half, the Blue and Gold never trailed the Bearcats (15-11). However, the visitors from Saint Vincent never let the game get away from them in the second stanza. Allegheny led by as many as 11 points on five different occasions in the second half, lastly at 75-64 with just under three minutes to play.

Shemar Bennett willed Saint Vincent into a two-possession game in the closing minutes. He netted five in a row to bring the Bearcats within four points, 75-71, but left a critical point at the foul line with a miss on an and-one try. Caden Hinckley (Boise, Idaho/Mt. Lebanon (Pa.)) put back a key second-chance bucket at the opposite end of the floor, but he, too, missed the freebee after being fouled.

Down 77-71, Saint Vincent was forced to foul, but Allegheny was unable to convert its next four free throws, leaving a small window open for a potential comeback. With 5.6 seconds on the clock, Mike Iuzzolino miraculously buried a desperation 3-pointer from the left side to bring his team within three points, 77-74. Fortunately for the large contingent of Allegheny supporters in attendance, Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) ended the Gators' cold spell from the free-throw line with two makes to seal the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Saint Vincent finished with a slight advantage in field-goal percentage, 45.0%-to-44.6%.
• Allegheny was 29-of-65 from the floor, 6-of-16 (37.5%) from 3-point range, and 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the charity stripe.
• The Bearcats held a plus-four margin in rebounds, 39-to-35.
• Four Gators reached double figures, led by Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting (75.0%).
• Portis scored 16 points after starting a perfect 5-for-5 in the opening half.
• Barker, who was 6-for-6 from the foul line, added 13 points with a game-high five assists.
• Hinckley produced an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double with a team-high four blocks.
• Bennett also had a double-double with game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (17) for the Bearcats.

News and Notes

• The Gators are now 10-2 all-time against Saint Vincent.
• Allegheny, which hosted its first home playoff game since 2010, earned its first postseason victory since 2009.
• The win is also Allegheny's first-ever in a PAC Tournament, as the conference did not hold a postseason tournament until after the Gators joined the NCAC.
• The double-double was Hinckley's 17th of the season.
• With 285 rebounds as a senior, Hinckley is just 10 boards shy of the all-time single-season record of 295, set by Eric Lindberg in 1978-79.
• Portis reached double-digit points for the fifth time as a freshman.
• Wilder scored in double figures for the 19th time in his junior season.

Up Next
The No. 2-seeded Gators will host No. 6 Thiel in the semifinal round of the 2022-23 PAC Championship Tournament on Thursday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m. inside the David. V. Wise Center.