MEADVILLE, Pa. – In a clash of the top-two teams in the NCAC on Saturday afternoon, No. 11 Denison University employed a suffocating defensive effort, forcing 15 Allegheny turnovers in the first half that lead to 18 points on the other end of the floor, helping the Big Red (23-0, 12-0 NCAC) jump out to a 13-point lead at halftime and eventually earning the 78-55 road win, keeping them perfect on the season.

The Gators (14-8, 8-4 NCAC) came into the game having won four games in a row and seven of their last eight propelling them into second place in the NCAC standings. Their only defeat during the hot streak was to the Big Red back on January 22nd in Granville, Ohio.

The Big Red took control of the game after starting the first five minutes of the second half on a 12-4 run, and jumping out to a 21-point lead, the largest to that point in the game. Despite shooting a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity stripe in the second half, the Gators were unable to translate that success to their shooting from the rest of the floor, shooting 27% from the field, and not connecting on five tries from long range. The Gators did, however have another impressive game shooting free-throws, going 19-of-20 for the game. It is the second consecutive game that Gators have shot over 90% from the line with at least 20 attempts.

Sophomore Heidi Goeller paced the Gators' offense with team-highs in points (12) and rebounds (8). Sophomore Daryl Ford and freshman Erica Restich would each add 10 points.

The loss spoiled what was the final regular season home game for the five seniors on this year's team: Jill Gregory, Kat Hritz, Nikki Johnson, Laura Magnelli, and Britni Mohney. However, with 2:00 minutes remaining in the game, head coach Kate Costanzo made a classy move calling for a timeout. The called timeout allowed her to substitute in her five seniors to be on the court in the midst of a home regular season game for the final time in their careers.

With no more regular season games left at the David V. Wise Center, the Gators will take to the road to close out the 2010-11 regular season, taking on the College of Wooster on Wednesday, February 16th and Kenyon College on Saturday, February 19th. Tip-off against Wooster is set for 7:30 p.m. and Kenyon's tip is set for 1:00 p.m.