MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team remained undefeated on its home court this season with a 90-81 victory over Penn State Shenango on Wednesday afternoon at James H. Mullen, Jr. Arena.

With a large crowd of Meadville Area Middle School students in attendance, the Gators (5-6) led from whistle to whistle despite a scrappy performance against the visiting Lions (5-11). 

Allegheny's best run was a string of 11 unanswered points in only 90 seconds in the second half. That extended the Gator lead to 19 points at 80-61, but Penn State Shenango responded with 20 of the following 27 points. With Allegheny going nearly four minutes without a point, the Lions made it a two-possession difference, 87-81, with just under two minutes to play.

The defense clamped down in time to preserve the win, however. Not only did the Lions miss their last seven field goals, but local standout Zion Barksdale (Meadville, Pa./Cathedral Prep) made his presence felt by blocking two shots in the last two minutes. Fellow big man Mike Noonan (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) closed the contest by making three of his four tries from the foul line. 

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny shot 53.6% in the first half and finished with an overall rate of 48.5% (32-of-66).
• More than half of Allegheny's shots were taken from 3-point range, as the Gators made 14-of-38 treys (36.8%).
• Penn State Shenango wasn't afraid to shoot from beyond the arc but only connected on 8-of-32 attempts (25.0%).
• Allegheny held a plus-nine rebound margin, 52-to-43, although the Lions were better on the offensive glass, 17-to-12.
• Four Gators finished with double-digit points, led by James Sitter (Erie, Pa./Fairview), who buried a team-high 18 points off the bench.
• Sitter led all Gators with four 3-pointers and collected eight rebounds.
• Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)) and Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) each scored 14 points and combined for 10 assists.
• Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) made a trio of 3-point field goals en route to an 11-point performance.
• Noonan was one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
• Penn State Shenango was led by D'Montez Owens and Devin Alston with 19 and 16 points, respectively.

News and Notes

• The Gators are 2-0 all-time against Penn State Shenango.
• With Wednesday's win, Allegheny improved to 4-0 inside James H. Mullen Arena.
• Allegheny's offense reached 90 points in a game for the third time this season.
• The Gators set a new single-season season-high for 3-pointers (14) and rebounds (52).
• Barker has double-digit points in nine of 11 games this winter.
• Sitter's 18 points and eight rebounds are both career bests for the second-year transfer from PennWest Edinboro.
• In his second appearance this season, first-year guard Jeremy Burda (Johnstown, Pa./Forest Hills) scored his first two collegiate points.

Up Next
Allegheny returns to Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action with a rematch of the 2023 PAC championship game. The Gators host Chatham University on Sunday, December 31, at 4:00 p.m.