Gators Pick Up Key NCAC Victory

Jan 14, 2006

Boxscore

MEADVILLE, Pa. – After trailing by as many as 11 in the first half, the Allegheny Gators (8-7, 4-2 NCAC) rallied to tie the score at halftime before out-scoring Denison (12-4, 4-3 NCAC) by 10 in the second half in a 61-51 NCAC victory.

Meghan Vasilisin (Munhall/Oakland Catholic) (left) scored a game-high 16 points while Caitlin Murtagh (Bethel Park/Seton-La Salle) and Courtney Steding (McDonald/Fort Cherry) chipped in 12 and 10, respectively, in the win.

The Gators came out strong to start the game, using an intense defense to jump out to a 10-4 lead five minutes into the half, before the Big Red settled, and then out-scored the Blue and Gold 19-2 over the next ten minutes, taking an 11-point, 23-12 lead. The Gators then ended the half as it started, out-scoring Denison 12-1 the rest of the way and tying the game at 24-24.

The teams battled back and forth for the majority of the second half, exchanging leads and re-tying the game on six occasions, the last of which took place with the score knotted at 45 with 6:58 to play. Just over 30 seconds later, however, Becca Gasiewicz (Grove City/Kennedy Christian) hit a three that would give the Gators the lead for good. Three-point shooting was a large factor in the second period, as the Gators went 5-of-10 from behind the arc compared to the visitors’ 2-of-15 performance.

Also stepping up for the Blue and Gold was Katie Kestler (Pittsburgh/Mt. Lebanon), who scored nine points and went 3-of-6 from long range. Murtagh led the team in rebounds and steals with seven each, while Valery Medwid (Pittsburgh/Montour) dished out a game-high four assists.

The Big Red were led by Sarah Perrine, who scored nine points, and Kristen Sheffield, who collected 11 rebounds. The 51-point output for Denison was the team’s third lowest of the year, as it averages nearly 68 points per contest.

The Gators are in action again Wednesday evening, when they will take to the road to face Oberlin in a 6:00 p.m. match-up.

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