MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny women's basketball squad took to the court Saturday afternoon, looking to bounce back from their first conference loss of the season. Bounce back they did, as sophomore Erica Restich's seven three's tied the program record for three pointers made in one game, and the Gators got back on track with a 69-61 victory over Wittenberg University.
The first half saw both teams come out to sluggish starts, as both were playing their second game in less than 24 hours. Both teams shot under 34 percent, but it was Allegheny who would pull ahead thanks to solid play on the offensive end from Restich and juniors Ann Ryan and Heidi Goeller who all scored nine points in the opening stanza to give the Gators a 31-25 lead.
The teams were fairly evenly matched other than the score, with both forcing eight turnovers, while Allegheny held the slightest of rebound margins with 25 to Wittenberg's 24.
The Second half saw both teams play much sharper than the first, each side shooting the ball much better from the field. The Tigers would cut the Allegheny lead to three early; however, midway through the half it looked as if the Gators would run away.
Sparked behind the rebounding of Goeller and junior Daryl Ford, and the three point shooting of Restich, Allegheny would go on a 12-2 run to open a 16 point lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Wittenberg would chip away at the lead, and eventually cut the deficit down to as much as six. However Allegheny would not be denied, shooting lights out down the stretch and taking control of the glass to hold off the Tigers rally for the 69-61 win.
The Gators would shoot an incredible 58.3 percent in the second half, while also out-rebounding the Tigers 18-13 in the final 20 minutes.
Restich would end the day shooting an unbelievable 7-9 from behind the arc, tying a school record previously held by Katie Kestler, and Suzanne Helfant. Restich would finish with a game high 25 points, while chipping in with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Not to be outdone was Goeller, who recorded her sixth double-double of the year by netting 15 points and grabbing 11 boards.
Junior Ann Ryan also hit a couple key three's and finished the game with 14 points, while freshman Kendall Hoffman recorded a career high 11 rebounds off the bench as Allegheny would improve to 9-5 on the season, and 4-1 in conference play.
The ladies will have a few days to recuperate, as they will be off until Wednesday, January 11 when they will travel to Oberlin, Ohio to take on the Yeowomen of Oberlin College. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.