The Pitt-Johnstown men's and women's basketball teams will host a PSAC Western Division doubleheader California University (PA), Wednesday night in the Sports Center..  The women will tip-off against the 15^th-ranked Vulcans at 5:30 p.m., before the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
 
After a solid 68-61 PSAC victory at Gannon last Wednesday, Head Coach Mike Drahos' (6^th Season) Pitt-Johnstown squad suffered a narrow 68-63 home conference loss to Edinboro on Saturday and enter tonight's game at 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the PSAC Western Division.  Gabrielle Smith's 20 points and eight rebounds, Tori Moreland's 18 points, and Alli McGrath's 11 points and eight rebounds led the Mountain Cats on Saturday.
 
Nationally, Smith leads NCAA Division II in free-throws made (126) and attempted (159) and ranks 19^th in scoring (20.8 ppg.), while McGrath is 29^th in scoring (19.7 ppg.).
 
California (PA), ranked No. 15 under eighth-year Head Coach Jess Strom, has won three straight games and is 13-1 overall and 7-1 in the PSAC West.  The Vulcans defeated Slippery Rock, 78-72, last Wednesday and got a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds from Seairra Barrett in a 65-49 win at Lock Haven on Saturday.  Jiahna Flood-Francis added 11 points and eight rebounds.
 
Barrett ranks fifth nationally in scoring at 24.1 ppg., and Brianna Jasper is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.37.
 
Last season, nationally-ranked California (PA) won a pair of tight games against Pitt-Johnstown.  On Jan. 10, Mia Cushing scored a game-high 23 points to lead the then 10^th-ranked Vulcans to a 53-43 win in California.  Maddie Shanahan's 11 points led the Mountain Cats.  One month later, 20^th-ranked California (PA) got 22 points from Shatara Parsons and 14 points from Flood-Francis in a 56-54 win in the Sports Center.  Smith scored 20 points and Olivia McCabe added 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to pace Pitt-Johnstown.
       
Head Coach Bob Rukavina's Mountain Cats, 10-5 overall and 5-3 in the PSAC West, snapped a short two-game losing skid with a 100-88 conference win over Edinboro, Saturday in the Sports Center.  PSAC West Freshman of the Week Fred Mulbah's career-high 21 points and seven assists led five Pitt-Johnstown double figure scorers.  John Paul Kromka had 16 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and a career-high seven blocks, while Josh Wise eclipsed 900 career points with16 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Romano Sebastiani chipped-in career-highs of 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists and Jared Jakubick scored 10 points.
 
Nationally for the Mountain Cats, Kromka ranks fourth in total blocks (40), fifth in blocked shots per game (2.67 bpg.) and 13^th in field goal percentage (62.1%).
 
California (PA), under first-year Head Coach Danny Sancomb, is 6-8 overall and 4-4 in the PSAC West after winning three of its last four games.  The Vulcans suffered a 95-84 loss to Slippery Rock last Wednesday, then rebounded with a 78-74 win at Lock Haven on Saturday.  Collin MacAdams had 21 points, Zyan Collins had 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and Brent Pegram scored 19 points against the Bald Eagles.
 
Pegram ranks 10^th nationally in steals per game (3.0), 11^th in total steals (42), and 27^th in 3-point field goal percentage (45.6%).
 
     Pitt-Johnstown and California (PA) have met 41 times since the 1970-71 season, and the Vulcans hold a slim 22-19 advantage in the series.  The Mountain Cats have won five of the last six, but the teams split a pair of games in 2017-18.  On January 10 in California, Jahmere Howzie's 20 points and Cordell Smith's 19 points helped the Vulcans hold off Pitt-Johnstown, 81-80.  Dale Clancy scored a game-high 32 points to lead Pitt-Johnstown.  The Mountain Cats evened the season series with an 82-75 win in the Sports Center on February 10.  Isaac Vescovi's game-high 28 points and Wise's 18 points paced Pitt-Johnstown, while Smith had 21 points and Robel Teckle added 18 points and 11 rebounds for California (PA).
 
Both teams travel to conference games at Mercyhurst next Saturday and Slippery Rock on January 23, before hosting a PSAC doubleheader against Seton Hill on, Saturday January 26 at 1 and 3 p.m. in the Sports Center.