The Pitt-Johnstown men's basketball team didn't let a 10-day layoff slow them down Tuesday night.

The Mountain Cats, ranked No. 6 in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region poll, held off a late second-half rally to beat Shepherd (W.Va) University 65-64 in a PSAC crossover game at the Sports Center.

Four players scored in double figures for Pitt-Johnstown, which won for the fifth time in six games and improved to 7-2 overall, 3-0 in the PSAC.

Guard Joe Batt had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Mountain Cats, while guard Fred Mulbah had 13 points and 11 assists, and forward John Paul Kromka added 12 points and seven assists. 

Freshman guard Andy Zuchelli contributed a career-high 11 points off the bench, hitting 4 of 5 shots, including three 3-pointers. 

Guard Jordan Gibson had a game-high 18 points for the Rams, who dipped to 5-4 overall, 1-2 in the PSAC. Dan McClain-Corley pitched in 16 points and forward Kyle Daggett contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Pitt-Johnstown, coached by Bob Rukavina, shot 48.2 percent (27 of 56) from the field and 36.4 percent (8 of 22) from 3-point range. Shepherd hit on 37.3 percent (22 of 59) of its shots and 36.1 percent (13 of 36) from behind the arc. 

The Mountain Cats outscored the Rams 30-14 in the paint and 22-13 off the bench. The game featured 13 lead changes and seven ties.

Pitt-Johnstown, which trailed by three points at halftime, tied the game at 34-34 at the 17:39 mark on Mulbah's two free throws. The Mountain Cats took the lead a short time later, 39-36, on guard Batt's 3-pointer.

Gibson's 3-pointer near the 12-minute mark put the Rams back on top, 42-41. The Mountain Cats took the lead for good at 53-30 on Mulbah's 3-pointer with 7:25 remaining. Batt's layup and free throw put the hosts up 65-61 with 21 seconds left, but Shepherd's Gibson hit a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining.

Shepherd jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first half, but the Mountain Cats rallied to take the lead as guard Mulbah's basket capped an 8-0 run near the eight-minute mark.

The game see-sawed back and forth until Kromka's layup with 3:10 left gave the Mountain Cats a 25-24 lead.

Shepherd regained its largest lead of the opening half at 31-24 on a 3-pointer by Cam Stephens with 1:43 left. But layups by Pitt-Johnstown forward Caiden Landis and Mulbah in the final 1:17 pulled the Mountain Cats to within three points, 31-28, at halftime.

Pitt-Johnstown will close out the first semester with a pair of weekend PSAC doubleheaders Saturday against Shippensburg and Sunday against Lock Haven, both at 3 p.m.