The Pitt-Johnstown men's and women's basketball teams will host their final regular season games of the 2017-18 season when PSAC rival Seton Hill visits the Sports Center on Wednesday. The women will tip-off at 5:30 p.m., before the men's game against the Griffins at 7:30 p.m.
The Pitt-Johnstown women, 9-15 overall and 6-13 in the PSAC Western Division under
Coach Mike Drahos (5th year), will play its final home game of the season tonight. The Cats gave 12
th-ranked Indiana (PA) all it could handle on Thursday, but suffered a 57-47 loss, before celebrating Senior Day on Saturday and nearly upsetting 20
th-ranked California (PA).
Gabrielle Smith scored 20 points, and
Olivia McCabe, this year's lone senior, recorded her 12
th double-double of the year with 14 points and 15 rebounds to help Pitt-Johnstown cut an 18-point deficit to two with six seconds remaining, but the Cats were not able to pull off the upset, and fell, 56-54.
McCabe currently stands in 27
th place on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Scoring List with 1,139 points and seventh on the All-Time Rebounding List with 799 rebounds.
Seton Hill, under fifth-year
Coach Mark Katarski is 18-7 overall and 13-6 in the PSAC after splitting two games last week. Last Wednesday, 13
th-ranked Edinboro defeated the Griffins, 75-61. Seton Hill responded with a 65-59 win over Mercyhurst on Saturday behind
Jenna Kaufman's game-high 22 points and seven rebounds,
Alexandra Hay's 16 points, and
Katie Nolan's 10 points.
On January 20, Seton Hill dealt Pitt-Johnstown a 79-50 loss in Greensburg.
Kaufman scored 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds, and
Cheyenne Trest added 17 points to pace the Griffins. Pitt-Johnstown was led by
Smith's 12 points and 10 rebounds, and
McCabe's 12 points.
The Pitt-Johnstown women's team will close out the 2017-18 season with PSAC games at Slippery Rock on Saturday and at Mercyhurst on February 21.
Head Coach Bob Rukavina's Mountain Cats, 13-10 overall and 11-8 in the PSAC made it three straight wins and locked-up a PSAC Tournament berth with a pair of wins last week.
Drew Magestro's 3-point with six seconds left lifted Pitt-Johnstown to a 65-63 win at Indiana (PA) on Thursday, before Pitt-Johnstown celebrated Senior Day with an 82-75 victory over California (PA) on Saturday.
Isaac Vescovi, this week's PSAC West Co-Player of the Week, scored a game-high 28 points,
Josh Wise had 18 points and six rebounds, and
Dale Clancy finished with 16 points and five assists.
Clancy currently stands in 10
th-place on the Mountain Cat All-Time Scoring List (1,401 points), third on the assists list (505), and fifth on the 3-point field goals list (223).
Vescovi is 14
th-place on the Pitt-Johnstown Scoring List with 1,321 points.
Seton Hill, under 15
th-year
Head Coach Tony Morocco, has lost its last three games and comes in at 8-16 overall and 5-14 in the PSAC. The Griffins suffered a 78-70 loss to Edinboro last Wednesday and a 77-66 loss to Mercyhurst on Saturday.
Trevor Blondin scored 22 points,
Nathan Davis had 18 points, and
Spencer Casson collected 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds against the Lakers on Saturday.
Pitt-Johnstown has won the last three meetings and leads the all-time series 19-7. On January 20, the Mountain Cats made the trip to Greensburg and came away with an 83-80 victory.
Wise had 25 points,
Vescovi had 20 points, and
Levi Masua chipped in 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead four Mountain Cat double figure scorers.
Casson's 25 points and 16 rebounds, and
Blondin's 23 points paced four Griffins who scored in double figures.
Pitt-Johnstown, who could still host a First-Round PSAC Tournament game, will close out the regular with conference games at Slippery Rock on Saturday and at Mercyhurst next Wednesday, before opening the PSAC Tournament on February 26.
