DELAWARE, Ohio – A balanced Allegheny scoring attack that featured four double figure outputs was not enough to overcome a 55-point combined effort from Ohio Wesleyan seniors Kayla Gordon and Tyler Cordell as the Gators (7-5, 1-1 NCAC) dropped their first conference game of the season 82-96 Wednesday night at OWU.
The game was controlled throughout by the Bishops (6-7, 2-0 NCAC) who led nearly the entire game. The Gators led twice, once in each half, with each go-ahead bucket coming from long range to give them a one-point cushion, but the leads were short-lived as the Bishops answered right back to regain the lead.
Allegheny's first lead of the game came about eight minutes into the first half when rookie Erica Restich nailed a three-pointer to put the Gators on top 18-17. On the ensuing possession Kayla Gordon answered back with a layup in the paint that would spark a 12-0 run over the next three minutes of game time to give the Bishops their largest lead of the half, 11 points (29-18). Gordon was on fire in the opening frame pacing the Bishop offensive attack collecting 21 points on a perfect 8-of-8 (1.000) shooting from the field, including a flawless 3-of-3 (1.000) from beyond the arc, and a clean 2-of-2 (1.000) from the charity stripe. Gordon would end with a game-high 29 points.
Leading scorer for the season Jill Gregory led the Gators in scoring for the first half with 12 points on the strength of 5-of-9 (.555) shooting and would finish with a team-high 21 points. Restich and Ann Ryan helped fill the offensive void of Heidi Goeller and Laura Magnelli, who were forced to the bench with foul trouble. Both Restich and Ryan shot 3-of-6 (.500) total from the field.
Although down in the game going into the break, the Gators, as they have been all season, were not out of the game by any stretch and went on another comeback effort in the second half. With the Bishops ahead 69-58 with 8:35 remaining, the Gators went on a 22-10 run over the next 5:30 to take their final lead of the game, 81-80, with exactly 3:00 on the game clock.
The Gators put up a total of 51 points in the second half with Daryl Ford, Goeller, and Restich scoring 10 points each. Ford was an unblemished 4-of-4 from the floor in that half en route to setting a new career scoring mark with 16 points. She also collected her second career double-double with 10 boards in the game. Restich would finish with 17 points and a game-high six steals.
The Ladies of Kenyon College are next on the slate as the Gators will host the NCAC rival on Saturday January, 8th starting at 1:00 pm. The game can be followed through Live Stats and the following link: http://www.sidearmstats.com/allegheny/wbball/index.htm