Olivia Fasick knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 28 points, and the Mountain Cats hit 12 3-pointer as a team to claw back from a second half deficit and clinch a spot in the PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament with a 70-63 victory at Seton Hill, Wednesday evening. Pitt-Johnstown is now 12-15 overall and 10-11 in the PSAC West.
Fasick's game and career-high 28 points came on 9-11 shooting, including a perfect 6-6 from 3-point range and 4-6 from the line. Fasick also had four rebounds, a game-high seven assists, and four steals, while
Peyton Alazaus made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, and
Cassidy Crawford tallied 10 points off the bench to lead Pitt-Johnstown.
Hayden Taylor hit two 3-pointers and chipped-in eight points and
Kylah Frankline scored six points. The Mountain Cats also got five points and five rebounds from
Ashley Norling, and eight rebounds and three blocks from
Molly Wagoner.
The Mountain Cats came out and hit four of their first five shots, including a pair of 3-pointers from Fasick and one from Alazaus, to jump out to an 11-5 lead four minutes into the game. Pitt-Johnstown stayed hot from behind
the arc and got a 3-pointer from Crawford and three more of Fasick's 11 first half points to make it 19-10 at the 2:21 mark. Seton Hill came back to narrow it to 19-18 going into the second quarter with eight straight points.
The Griffins took their first lead of the game early in the second quarter and went up 28-22 on a Katie Nolan basket at 5:55. Pitt-Johnstown bounced back with Taylor's 3-pointer and Franklin's layup to cut it to two three minutes later, but Seton Hill was able to take a 35-27 lead into the break.
Pitt-Johnstown came out in the third quarter and got it down to a two possession game on three occasions, with the last coming on a pair of Norling free-throws at 8:04, but the Griffins got the lead into double figures on a Christiane Frye basket two minutes later. The Mountain Cats answered with an 8-2 run, capped by Taylor's free-throws, then used Fasick's fourth 3-pointer of the night to make it 53-46.
Pitt-Johnstown kept battling and dominated the fourth quarter by outscoring Seton Hill 24-10. Another 3-pointer from Fasick and Crawford's three free-throws with 5:01 left got it down to a one, before Fasick's sixth 3-pointer of the night at 4:19 gave the lead back to the Mountain Cats at 63-61. Pitt-Johnstown never let the Griffins get any closer and went on to the seven-point win.
The Mountain Cats shot 44.0% from the floor, made 12-of their 22 3-pointers and 14 of their 16 free-throws. Pitt-Johnstown also held the Griffins to just 3-13 from behind the arc and 12-18 from the line.
Nolan's 23 points and 12 rebounds and Frye's 12 points paced Seton Hill, which dropped to 20-10 overall and 14-7 in the PSAC West.
Pitt-Johnstown closes out the regular season with a PSAC road game at IUP on Saturday, before opening the 2022 PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Monday.
