HIRAM, Ohio -- Five players scored at least eight points as the Hiram College women's basketball team defeated Allegheny (Pa.) 68-62 on Wednesday evening.
The Terriers are now 9-5 on the season and 3-2 in NCAC action, while the Gators drop to 8-6, 3-2.
Sophomore Mercedes Jones (Dayton, Ohio/Ponitz Career Technology Center) finished with a game-high 14 points, while pulling down seven rebounds. Sophomore Allison Vannoy (Mantua, Ohio/Crestwood) added 13 points, which was one off her career-high.
Sophomore Kaylee Shockley (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) chipped in with nine points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, freshman Savana Lowery (Carrollton, Ohio/Carrollton) had nine points and junior Dana Perrotta (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) finished with eight points.
The win for Hiram was only the third against Allegheny in program history and the first since the 2008-09 season.
The Gators held a 17-12 lead after the opening frame and a 32-27 edge at the break.
After the Terriers scored the first basket of the second half, Allegheny would push its lead to 38-29.
Hiram would counter with an 13-2 run to build a 43-40 lead with just over five minutes left in the third.
The Terriers would push their lead to as large as five at 47-42, before the Gators scored six of the final seven points of the frame to knot the score at 48-48 after three quarters.
Allegheny opened the final frame strong and built a 57-52 advantage with 7:11 left in the game.
Hiram came right back with a 10-2, capped off by a Shockley free throw, to take a 62-58 lead with 2:16 left to play.
Clinging to a 66-62 lead with under 30 seconds left, Perrotta drew a key charge on Allegheny's Rachel Vigliotti to give Hiram the ball back. She was fouled on the ensuing inbound and sunk two free throws to put the game away.
The Terriers finished 20-of-54 (37.0 percent) from the field and went 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) in 3-pointers. The Gators were 22-of-63 (34.9 percent) in shooting, but just converted just 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
Hiram held a slim 44-42 edge in rebounding.
The Terriers will return to action on Saturday, as they hit the road to take on Oberlin at 1 p.m.