Pitt-Johnstown raced out to a 17-point first quarter lead and connected on 13 3-pointers in a lopsided 87-42 non-conference victory over West Virginia Wesleyan College, Wednesday evening in the Sports Center.
Makalyn Clapper scored a game-high and career-high 19 points to help the Mountain Cats improve to 4-1.
Clapper shot 7-11 from the field, 2-4 from behind the arc, and 3-4 from the free-throw line to lead three Pitt-Johnstown players who scored in double figures and nine players who scored five or more points.
Gabrielle Smith scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, and
Lindsay Shuke added a career-high 11 points for the Mountain Cats. Pitt-Johnstown also got eight points and a game-high seven rebounds from
Mia Oterson, seven points from
Ashley Dean, and six points, four rebounds and a game-high five assists from
Olivia Fasick.
The Mountain Cats shot 56% in both the first and fourth quarters and ended the night at an even 50% (32-64) while holding West Virginia Wesleyan to just 26.5% shooting (13-49). Pitt-Johnstown also went 13-27 from behind the 3-point line and 10-12 from the charity stripe.
Pitt-Johnstown hit eight first half three-pointers and jumped out to a 13-3 lead four minutes into the opening quarter on
Maddie Shanahan's 3-pointer. The Mountain Cats then got baskets from Clapper and Shanahan late in the quarter to increase the lead to 24-7.
Clapper's 3-pointer midway through the second quarter gave the Mountain Cats their largest lead of the half at 28 before Katie's Bolden's 3-pointer made it 45-18 at the break.
Pitt-Johnstown continued to expand its advantage and pushed it out to 60-27 late in the third quarter on
Ashley Norling's layup and a pair of baskets from Clapper, before back-to-back 3-pointers from Shuke in the final minute of the game gave the Mountain Cats their largest lead of the night and set the final at 87-42.
Imani Jackson's 14 points and Malaika Kimmons' six rebounds led the way for the Bobcats, who fell to 2-2 on the year.
Pitt-Johnstown continues a five-game homestand and begins PSAC Crossover-play with doubleheaders with the men's team against East Stroudsburg on Saturday and Kutztown on Sunday. Both doubleheaders will begin at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center.
