Josh Valentic drained a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to give the Gators a one-point lead. The Big Red had one chance to sink the game-winning shot, but David Meurer's running jumper fell just short as Allegheny clipped Denison 60-59 on Saturday in Granville.

The Gators jumped out to an early 16-6 lead over the first seven minutes of the game. As quickly as the visiting team took the lead, they surrendered it to the Big Red. A pair of senior Brad Woolard foul shots sparked a 13-0 run that turned a 10-point deficit into a three-point lead. Meurer followed with a layup, while senior Robby Weingart drained a fast break three off an assist from Darius White. Following an Allegheny one-and-done, Matthew Bauer took a pass from Briggs King and converted in the paint to close the gap to 16-15. That bucket forced the Gators to call a time out.

The attempt to kill momentum was unsuccessful as Woolard knocked down a jumper on DU's next possession. Meurer followed that up with a steal and layup to end the run. Denison went on to maintain the lead, carrying a 32-30 advantage into the intermission.

The Big Red built on its lead in the early stages of the second half, grabbing its first double-digit lead with a White triple at 16:35. The Gators would battle back and close the gap to six at the midway point of the half. However, the senior trio of King, Woolard and Weingart helped DU take its largest lead of the contest at 58-44 with 8:40 on the clock. King drained a second-chance 3-pointer off an assist from Woolard. Woolard scored in the paint on the Big Red's next possession, while Weingart followed up with another fast break triple.

With just over seven minutes to play, Allegheny began to make a comeback. The Gators orchestrated a 14-1 run that allowed them to close the game to one with 1:58 to go. During that stretch, Evan Schweitzer posted five points, including a clutch triple that pulled Allegheny to within one. Chris Milon also scored on back-to-back possessions. The two teams went scoreless for the next 1:54 until Valentic suck two foul shots with 3.5 seconds to play.

The Gators finished 23-for-58 (39.7 percent) from the field, while Denison converted 39 percent (22-for-57) from the floor. The Big Red outrebounded Allegheny 42-30, including a 13-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. Denison turned those 13 offensive boards into 14 points.

King logged a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists. Weingart and Meurer each chipped in 11 points. Meurer also had four rebounds and three steals off the bench. Woolard finished with nine points and five rebounds in 22 minutes. White dished out a game-high six assists, while Bauer grabbed five boards.

Valentic and Evan Zabriski each scored 18 points to lead Allegheny, while Milon finished with 11. Zabriski also grabbed eight rebounds.

With the loss, Denison falls to 13-12 overall and closes out the regular season with a 7-11 record in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Allegheny improves to 11-14 and 8-10 in the league. The Big Red will hit the road on Tuesday for the quarterfinal round of the 2015 NCAC Tournament. DU's opponent and the tip-off time are TBD.

*Denison seniors Brad Woolard, Briggs King, Robby Weingart and Kim Simpson (student manager) were honored prior to Saturday's game against Allegheny.