Walter Williams' 3-pointer with under a minute remaining put Virginia State University in the lead for good in a 79-75 season-opening victory over the Mountain Cat basketball team in Friday's first round of the IUP IRMC/Hilton Garden Inn Classic.  Isaac Vescovi and Drew Magestro each scored 18 points to lead Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Virginia State opened-up seven-point lead to start, but Pitt-Johnstown knocked down three straight 3-pointers and got a Levi Masua tip-in in a quick 11-0 run to put the Mountain Cats up 13-9 seven minutes into the game.
 
The lead see-sawed back-and forth for the next five minutes, before the Trojans connected on four of their nine first half 3-pointers, including three from Brandon Holly, to break a 22-all tie and rebuild their lead to 34-24 with 6:08 left in the half.
 
The Mountain Cats kept it close and cut it to six on a Josh Wise bucket, then to 42-38 at the half on Vescovi's basket with 35 seconds remaining.
 
Pitt-Johnstown came out in the second half and got the deficit down to one of four occasions, with the last coming on a Magestro 3-pointer at 14:02 that made it 52-51.
 
Virginia State answered with nine consecutive points over the next 3:16 to get the lead back out to 10 at 61-51 on Trey Brown's lay-up.
 
Pitt-Johnstown clawed back again.  Vescovi hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Magestro made his fourth and fifth of the game to knot it at 63 with 6:23 left.
 
Dale Clancy then connected on a pair of free-throws a minute later to put the Mountain Cats back on top by two.
 
It stayed close the rest of the way, but William's 3-pointer with 51 seconds on the clock put the Trojans up 77-75.  Pitt-Johnstown had a chance to tie, but Magestro's 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining was blocked.  Williams then made a pair of free-throws to set the final at 79-75.
 
Vescovi had 18 points (4-4 3-pointers,) and Magestro added 18 points, including 6-9 from 3-point range, and six assists in his college debut to lead the Mountain Cats.  Clancy 16 points and six assists to move into 27^th-place on the Mountain Cat All-time Scoring List with 1,028 points.
 
Pitt-Johnstown also got seven points from Masua, and six points apiece from Olando King and Josh Wise.
 
The Mountain Cat shot 44.8% (26-58) from the field, 12-29 from 3-point range, and 11-13 from the Charity stripe.  Virginia State ended the evening shooting 55.8% (29-52) from the floor and 14-20 from behind the 3-point line.  The Trojans were also 7-12 from the charity stripe.
 
Granberry's 16 points and game-high 10 rebounds and Holly's 15 points led five Trojans who scored in double figures.
 
The Mountain Cats close out the IUP Classic against Urbana (OH) University on Saturday, before making their home debut and opening PSAC-play against Bloomsburg on November 18 and East Stroudsburg on November 19.  The women's games are scheduled to tip-off at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center with the men's game to follow at 3 p.m.  Between games of the November 18 doubleheader, Pitt-Johnstown will have its new floor dedication ceremony.