Box Score
Pitt-Johnstown built a 15-points first half advantage, then got four consecutive free-throws from Jake Laravie in the final 10 seconds to hold on for a 71-65 PSAC victory at California University (PA) on Wednesday.
 
A.J. Leahey scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Mountain Cats, who made it four straight wins and improved to 14-7 overall and 10-6 in the PSAC Western Division.
 
Pitt-Johnstown raced out to a 13-point lead eight minutes into the game.  Five straight points from Nate Snodgrass and a basket from Rasaun Mosley put the Mountain Cats up by a dozen, before Dom Keyes' lay-up made with 20-7.
 
Another bucket from Keyes at 9:34 helped Pitt-Johnstown maintain the 13-point advantage, but the Vulcans answered with a 13-3 run over the next three minutes to narrow the gap to three.  Nate Miller's put-back off of a missed free-throw cut it to six, and Nate Bellhy's third 3-pointer of the half got California (PA) deficit to three at 28-25 with 6:21 left.
 
However, Pitt-Johnstown quickly regained control.  The Mountain Cats used a three-pointer from Snodgrass and seven points from Isaac Vescovi in a 14-2 spurt to take their largest lead of the half at 42-27, before Khalil Jabbie's 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining got the Vulcans back to within 12 at 42-30 at the break.
 
The Vulcans continued to hang around to start the second half and made it 52-45 on Daniel Sapp's lay-up at 14:15, but baskets from Dale Clancy and Vescovi increased the Mountain Cat lead back out to 11.
 
California (PA) battled back again.  This time, Luka Andjusic's jumper with 3:43 to play cut it to 63-61, before Leahey nailed a 3-pointer on Pitt-Johnstown next trip down the floor to extend the lead back to five.
 
Miller hit a 3-pointer for the Vulcans with 13 seconds left that narrowed it to 67-65, but Laravie hit the four straight free-throws in the final 10 seconds to seal Pitt-Johnstown's victory.
 
Leahey's 17 points paced three Mountain Cats who scored in double figures.  Vescovi had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Snodgrass finished with a dozen points.  Pitt-Johnstown also got nine points, six rebounds, and nine assists from Clancy, six points, five rebounds, and three steals from Olando King, Jr., and six points from Keyes in the victory.
 
With his three 3-pointers against the Vulcans, A.J. Leahey remains in 10^th-place on the Mountain Cat All-Time 3-Point Field Goals List with 146.  Leahey is nine 3-pointers shy of tying Paul Byer (2002-2005) for ninth place on the list.
 
Pitt-Johnstown shot 47.5% (28-59) from the floor, 7-18 from 3-point range, and 8-14 from the free-throw line.  The Mountain Cats held the Vulcans to 41.0% (25-61) shooting from the field, 8-26 from behind the 3-point line, and 7-14 from the charity stripe.
 
Bellhy had 17 points, and Miller collected 11 points for the Vulcans, who dropped their fifth straight game and fell to 7-16 overall and 4-13 in the PSAC West.
 
The Mountain Cats will host a PSAC doubleheader with the Lady Cats against Gannon University on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center, before hosting another conference doubleheader on Wednesday against Edinboro.  The Lady Cats will tip-off against the Fighting Scot at 1 p.m. with the men's game starting at 3 p.m.