Box Score
Pitt-Johnstown took advantage of 17-5 and 10-0 first half runs to build a 17-point halftime advantage on its way to giving Head Coach Bob Rukavina his 450^th career victory and clinching a spot in the PSAC Tournament with an 88-67 conference win at California University (PA) on Wednesday.
 
Isaac Vescovi had a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds for the Mountain Cats, who improved to 16-10 overall and 11-9 in the PSAC West.
 
California (PA) jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, but Pitt-Johnstown responded with a 17-5 run to take a five-point lead of its own.  Back-to-back 3-pointers from Josh Wise and A.J. Leahey, followed by a Dale Clancy free-throw tied it at 12, before another Leahey 3-pointer at 12:39 gave the Mountain Cats a 17-12 lead.
 
After Cordell Smith's 3-pointer got the Vulcans back to within two, Romano Sebastiani scored seven points off the bench and Vescovi hit a 3-pointer in a 10-0 Mountain Cat spurt that increased the lead to 35-23 with 4:40 left in the half.
 
Pitt-Johnstown continued to stretch it and got a 3-pointer from Vescovi, and late buckets from Jake Laravie and Ajan Smith to extend it 47-40 at the half.
 
Clancy's basket 2:23 into the second half made it a 20-point advantage, and Leahey's 3-pointer at 14:30 gave the Mountain Cats their largest lead of the night at 63-37.
 
The Vulcans got as close as 18 on a pair of Robel Teckle free-throws with 10:02 remaining, but Pitt-Johnstown was able to coast to the victory.
 
Along with Vescovi, Clancy finished with 17 points and five assists, and Leahey added 15 points and five rebounds for the Mountain Cats.  Vise scored eight points, while Sebastiani had seven points, and Levi Masua collected seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Leahey is eighth on the Mountain Cat All-Time Scoring List with 1,485 points, fifth on the all-time rebounding list with 676, and fourth on the 3-point field goals list with 232.  Clancy stands in ninth-place on the Mountain Cat All-Time Assists List with 363 and is 44 points shy of becoming Pitt-Johnstown's 28^th 1,000-point scorer.
 
Pitt-Johnstown shot 47.6% (30-63) from the field, 9-18 from 3-point range, and 19-26 from the free-throw line.  The Mountain Cats also held California (PA) to just 32.8% (19-58) shooting for the night.  The Vulcans were also 12-32 from behind the 3-point line and 19-26 from the charity stripe.
 
Teckle had 15 points and Smith had 13 points to lead four Vulcans who scored in double figures.
 
With the loss, California (PA) dropped to 9-16 overall and 6-12 in the PSAC West.
 
The Mountain Cats travel to a conference game at Seton Hill on Wednesday, before ending the regular season and celebrating Senior Day with a PSAC doubleheader with the Lady Cats against Slippery Rock on Feb. 25 at 1 and 3 p.m. in the Sports Center.