Andy Zuchelli racked up a team-high 13 points and five assists, while John Paul Kromka and Jared Jakubick had 12 points apiece to power Pitt-Johnstown to a season-opening 73-51 win over West Virginia Wesleyan College in the Mountain Cat Tip-Off Classic in the Sports Center on Friday night.
The Mountain Cats as a whole were efficient offensively, shooting 30 of 57 (52.6%) from the floor, including 9 of 24 (37.5%) from 3-point range. Jakubick led that charge by knocking down 4 of 5 attempts from deep.
Pitt-Johnstown was heavily aided by its points in the paint advantage, outscoring West Virginia Wesleyan 36-12. Although both teams had 14 turnovers, the Mountain Cats scored 16 points off those miscues compared to West Virginia Wesleyan's nine.
Ryan Smith, Kromka and Jakubick all grabbed a team-high six rebounds for the Mountain Cats. Andrew Shull tied a team-high with five assists, while Joe Batt, who chipped in eight points, dished out three assists.
After Tyler Slone hit a 3-pointer to get the Bobcats within three at 23-20 with just under five minutes to play in the first half, Pitt-Johnstown ended the half on an 8-0 run to take a 31-20 lead into the break.
Pitt-Johnstown maintained its double-digit advantage for the duration of the second half, never allowing West Virginia Wesleyan to gain any momentum.
Slone recorded a double-double with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats (0-1). Darius Green totaled 16 points and collected seven boards.
Pitt-Johnstown will meet the University of Charleston (WV) on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the final game of the Mountain Cat Tip-Off Classic before visiting 8th-ranked West Liberty (WV) next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
