MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College men's basketball team earned its first win of the 2023-24 campaign on Tuesday night, as the Gators took down Bethany College in their home opener by a final score of 88-84.

The win was not only the first for the Gators (1-4, 1-1 PAC) this season but also the first for head coach Josh Clemens at the helm of the Allegheny bench.

Clemens' team survived a second-half lull and closed the contest with a strong performance. Leading the way for Allegheny was third-year guard Luke Barker (New Castle, Pa. Struthers (Ohio)), who scored 24 of his career-high 34 points in the second half. Barker, who was responsible for 48% of Allegheny's second-half scoring output, finished the night with a game-high five 3-pointers while shooting 12-of-19 (63.2%) from the field.

The Gators led by as many as 17 points, 28-11, in the first half, but the Bison (2-4, 1-2 PAC) began slowly chipping away. The Allegheny lead was only five points at halftime, 38-33, and Bethany came within a point on a few occasions in the second half. It would take Bethany more than 26 minutes to grab its first lead on a Troy Hixson 3-point bucket at the 13:47 mark of the second half.

Bethany held a six-point advantage, 60-54, when Barker came to life. He netted the go-ahead points and then buried the first of three consecutive Allegheny 3-point field goals. With five-and-a-half minutes to go, he broke a 71-71 tie with a pair of free throws, and he added two more for insurance in the closing seconds.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny shot 46.4% (32-of-69) overall and an even 40.0% (10-of-25) from beyond the arc.
• Bethany made 28-of-69 shots (40.6%) and 12-of-31 (38.7%) from 3-point range.
• The Gators finished with a 21-9 lead in points off turnovers, while the Bison had a 21-11 advantage in fastbreak points.
• Barker led all scorers with a game-high 34 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• Andre Wilder (Beaver Falls, Pa./Lincoln Park) had a double-double with 19 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
• Ryan Lang (Sarver, Pa./Knoch) scored 15 points with a trio of 3-pointers.
• Jayson Perry (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) and Isaiah Portis (Medina, Ohio/Norwayne) each scored five points, while Preston Turk (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) and Zion Barksdale (Meadville, Pa./Cathedral Prep) had four apiece.
• Chance Wells led the Bison with 22 points.
• Cole Dailey had an all-around good game with 11 points, a game-high 17 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.

News and Notes

• The Gators improved to 1-4 overall and 1-1 against Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opponents on the young season.
• Clemens secured his first victory as head coach of the Allegheny men's basketball team.
• Allegheny has won three consecutive matchups with Bethany since the start of last season.
• Barker surpassed the 30-point plateau for the second time as a Gator.
• Wilder's double-double marks his second of the year.
• Robert Russell (Bedford, Ohio/Lake Catholic) made his collegiate debut with 5:25 off the bench.

Up Next
The Gators return to Mullen Arena inside the David V. Wise Center on Saturday, November 25, for a non-conference matchup against Penn State Behrend. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.