WASHINGTON, Pa. – Senior Marina Scarantino buried a game-tying three-pointer with one second left on the second half clock to force overtime, as Allegheny was able to overcome a 13-point, second-half deficit to pick up a 94-89, overtime win over Washington & Jefferson in an instant classic Tuesday evening at the Henry Memorial Center.

With the team trailing, 81-76 with 42 seconds on the clock, junior Emma Pellicano nabbed an offensive board off of a missed jumper, hitting a layup to bring the game to within a single possession.  After Allegheny picked up the rebound after a missed Presidents jumper, Scarantino nailed the game-tying three with one second on the clock to send the game into overtime.

Gator first year Harper Zimmer drilled a jumper to tie the game 36 seconds into the extra session after a quick Presidents' basket.  Zimmer struck again with a three-pointer to bring the Gators within two, followed by junior Jessica Mrdjenovich, whose fastbreak layup gave the Gators the lead, 90-89 with 1:21 left.

Junior Rachel Vigliotti and Scarantino sealed the Gators' fourth win of the year by going a combined 4-for-4 from the charity stripe over the final seconds.  After Vigliotti's three-throws with 16 seconds left, Scarantino picked up a critical steal with five seconds remaining.  Scarantino's free throws sealed the Gator victory.

Pellicano scored a career-high 33 points, surpassing her previous personal mark of 28 scored last season against Oberlin, adding 11 rebounds for her first double double of the season.  Pellicano netted the highest point total for the Gators since Jamie Parone scored 32 points against Ohio Wesleyan on Jan. 20, 2001. 

Senior Kendall Hoffman tied a career-high with 21 points, including a 10-for-11 performance from the charity stripe, adding eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.  Four total Gators scored in double digits, as Zimmer scored 12 points for the second consecutive game, drilling a pair of three-pointers while grabbing five boards.  Junior Rachel Vigliotti finished the evening 6-for-6 from the foul line, including key free throws in the extra session, to finish with 10 total points.

Scarantino added to her game-tying bucket with a team-high eight assists, while Vigliotti added six assists.  Pellicano, Vigliotti and junior Jessica Mrdjenovich tied a team-high with two steals each, while Pellicano and Hoffman each swatted two shots apiece.  Allegheny's comeback was assisted by a 28-for-32 evening from the charity stripe, supplemented by a 41.9 percent shooting percentage.

Allegheny opened the contest on a 12-7 run, sparked by a 6-0 run with buckets from Pellicano, sophomore Meaghan Wilby and Zimmer.  The Presidents answered back with an 8-0 run to retake the lead, later turning a 17-16 lead into a 30-17 advantage, their largest lead of the half, with 5:41 remaining in the half, taking a 42-33 lead into halftime. 

In the second half, Washington & Jefferson returned to a 13-point lead, but the resilient Gators cut back into the Washington & Jefferson advantage, pushing the deficit to single digits with 7:55 on the clock.  A traditional three-point play by Pellicano sparked the rally, as Allegheny ripped off a 10-0 run over the next three and a half minutes, bringing the game to within one possession.

Hoffman and Pellicano set the stage for Scarantino's late-game heroics, as a layup by Hoffman followed by a pair of free throws and a layup from Pellicano brought the Gators to within three with 30 seconds on the clock.

Allegheny will take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday and will next play on Monday, Dec. 1 against Waynesburg at 7 p.m.