Gabrielle Smith scored a game-high 20 points to help Pitt-Johnstown build a 16-point third quarter lead and lead the Mountain Cats to a 59-53 victory over East Stroudsburg in Saturday's 2019-20 PSAC-opener in the Sports Center. Pitt-Johnstown improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the PSAC Western Division.
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East Stroudsburg jumped out to a 9-1 lead on Kaitlyn Swint's layup four minutes into the opening quarter, but Pitt-Johnstown outscored the Warriors the rest of the way to go in front 14-11 on
Ashley Norling's conventional 3-point play and a
Maurina Nunn lay-up as time expired.
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Smith opened the second quarter with a basket, before
Makalyn Clapper's lay-up at 3:15 increased it into double digits.
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Pitt-Johnstown took the 10-point lead into the halftime break, then pushed it out to 35-19 on a
Lindsay Shuke 3-pointer with 6:39 left in the third quarter. The Warriors answered with a 15-4 run to cut it to 40-34 on Sadie Cresswells' 3-pointer, but Smith's scored in the time to get the lead back out to eight.
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East Stroudsburg clawed back to within three at 56-53 with just under a minute remaining. However, the Mountain Cats wouldn't let it get any closer. Pitt-Johnstown seal the win by hitting 3-of-4 free-throws down the stretch.
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Smith finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting and 6-7 from the free-throw line, while Clapper added nine points, and
Maddie Shanahan had eight points and a team-high to lead the Mountain Cats. Pitt-Johnstown also got seven points from Shuke and five points apiece from
Mia Oterson and Nunn.
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Pitt-Johnstown shot 52.2% (21-40) from the field, while holding East Stroudsburg to just 37.0% (20-54).
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Tiffany Lapotsky scored 12 points, and Swint chipped-in 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who slipped to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the PSAC East.
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Pitt-Johnstown wraps-up a five-game homestand with a PSAC Crossover-play doubleheader with the men's team against Kutztown on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center and a non-conference game against Salem (WV) on December 4 at 6 p.m.
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