MEADVILLE, Pa. – On Saturday afternoon, for only the eighth time in school history, the Allegheny College women's basketball team defeated Wittenberg University, 81-78 at home. The last time the Gators (5-3, 1-0 NCAC) were able to knock off the Tigers (2-4, 0-1 NCAC) was back in the 2008-09 season when the Gators picked up a road win 58-52. The win for the Gators gives them their first conference win of the season and their second win at home.
The Tigers were the first to strike in the contest after they were awarded a two-shot technical before the game officially got under way. Sarah Watson, who took the technical shots, missed the first one but hit the second. After the game got underway, the Tigers extended their lead to as much as five points within the opening minute of the contest. The Gators would take their only lead of the first half, 6-5, on a layup by Jill Gregory from Laura Magnelli. Allegheny did not have the lead long as Watson pulled the Tigers back in front, 7-6, with a mid-range jumper. The Tigers would hold that lead for the final fourteen minutes of the first half.
Already possessed with poise and resilience this season, the Gators continued to battle in the first half bringing the game within one possession twice, but each time the Gators drew that close, the Tigers would make a mini-run to extend their lead. Keeping the Gators close in a sloppy first half for both teams as they each totaled 10 turnovers, was the play off their bench. Rookies Saddie Gravatt and Erica Restich were the spark plugs igniting the Gator offense. Both came off the bench and immediately provided a deep threat to the attack. Gravatt, a sharpshooter from beyond the arch, nailed two; while Restich, a hybrid guard/forward, sank two of her own in the first half. On the strength of 54-percent shooting and 26 points in the paint, the Tigers took a six-point lead into the half.
The Gators would come out on fire to start the second half with Magnelli popping a pair of three-pointers to tie the game at 41. "I was really proud of the way we came out of the locker room at halftime," applauded head coach Kate Costanzo.
Despite the game being tied early in the second half, the Tigers would hold strong and not give up the lead. Back-to-back layups with 5:56 left in the game by sophomore Heidi Goeller served as the tying and go-ahead buckets, giving the Gators their first lead in over 30 minutes of game time. After taking the lead, 66-64, Allegheny would go on an 11-to-five run over the next three and a half minutes to give them their largest lead of the game, eight. The game would get interesting in the waning moments as the Gators struggled from the charity stripe. Down the stretch, the Gators missed six of their final 11 attempts, including four in a row under a minute left.
In the end, the misses did not phase or come back to haunt the Gators as they hit their final three free throws to seal the victory. "It was a great win for us," remarked Costanzo. "We continued to fight hard and got the lead. Quality possessions down the stretch put us in good position to get the win."
Four Gators scored double figures with Gregory leading all scorers as she poured in 22. Gregory also became the third consecutive and different Gator to record a double-double as she pulled down a season-high 10 boards. Goeller and Restich were right behind Gregory as both notched 18-points.14 of those came in the second half for Goeller. Magnelli finished with 11 points, the sixth time this season she has scored in double figures. Britni Moheny worked the point effectively for the Gators as she dished out a team-high five assists.
Allegheny will take a break from conference action until after winter break. In the meantime they will take to the road on Tuesday, December 7th to take on Buffalo State at 6:00 pm. The Bengals will be offering live stats for the game. The game can be followed by their live stats link: http://bscintra.buffalostate.edu/athletics/basketball/xlive.htm.