MEADVILLE, Pa. – Sophomore Devone McLeod scored 20 points to pace four Allegheny players in double figures and Allegheny pulled away late to hand Thiel College its first loss of the season against NCAA Division III competition. Rookie D'Andre Corbin canned an off-balance three from the right wing with the shot clock winding down inside the final minute and senior Seth Eisner iced the non-conference win at the free-throw line as the Gators secured a 77-71 victory over their regional rival on a snowy Monday night.
Allegheny (4-4) pieced together a great effort, and displayed tremendous poise down the stretch en route to its ninth win in 11 games against Thiel (5-3). The Gators finished 19-of-23 at the charity stripe and finished plus-two on the glass in the second half against a much longer Bobcat lineup. Allegheny also tied a season high by forcing nine steals.
Junior Donte Briscoe authored his most efficient game of the season, and easily his best effort since the season-opener at Bethany. Closing with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, he also hauled in a game-best 11 rebounds, had a game-high four steals, and added a pair of blocks and assists. It marked his third consecutive game with double-digit scoring and resulted in his second career double-double.
Fellow junior James Ness also notched a double-double, his third of the season, after adding 14 points and matching a career-high with 10 boards. The Gators went to Ness early and often in the first half, while his hard work in the paint created foul trouble for the Bobcats' bigs.
McLeod and Corbin also shined on the perimeter, although it was their effective dribble penetration that created difficulty for the Thiel defense. The duo combined to shoot 4-of-5 from three-point range and 12-of-13 at the line. McLeod tied a career-high with 20 points, while Corbin finished with 16. The rookie point also dished out a game-best six assists after totaling zero for the first time in his young career in the Gators' weekend loss to Wittenberg.
Poor shooting against Thiel's long and athletic front resulted in a 14-7 deficit seven minutes into the game. Allegheny slowly chipped at the lead before a conventional three-point play by Ness provided the home team with its first lead of the night at 23-20 with eight minutes to go in the half. The Gators extended the advantage to as many as seven, but the Bobcats pulled within three by the end of the first half.
Monday's battle featured 13 lead changes and six ties, although five straight points by Allegheny to open the second half, including a three by McLeod, triggered the largest lead of the night for either team (40-32). The Bobcats answered with five consecutive points of their own, and from there the contest remained tight. Thiel finally grabbed its first lead of the second frame with just over six minutes to go as Blair Rozenblad drained a three from the left side. After Briscoe swished a baseline jumper to grab back the lead for Allegheny, a fast-break dunk by Aundra Jones on the Bobcats' ensuing possession put the visitors ahead, 63-62, with five minutes left on the clock.
Three's by McLeod and Corbin were the only other offense Allegheny would need as the strong performance at the foul line kept Thiel's comeback bid at bay.
Rozenblad paced all scorers with 22 points while Ladell Trotty added 19 for Thiel. Showing outstanding leadership as the Allegheny program's lone senior, Eisner came up with several big caroms off the glass and closed with a career-high five boards.