Makalyn Clapper collected a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, but IUP defeated the Pitt-Johnstown women's basketball team, 58-37, in Saturday's 2021-22 PSAC regular season finale in Indiana. The Mountain Cats, who locked up the No. 6 seed in the PSAC Wester Division, are 12-16 overall and 10-12 in conference-play, and will travel to third-seeded Seton Hill to open the 2022 PSAC women's basketball tournament on Monday.
Along with Clapper,
Ashley Norling scored eight points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Alazaus and
Kylah Franklin each had six points for Pitt-Johnstown.
Molly Wagoner grabbed five rebounds.
Pitt-Johnstown got off to a good start and opened-up a four-point lead after one quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Norling and Franklin put the Mountain Cats on top by three with just over a minute left, before
Peyton Alazaus' 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Pitt-Johnstown a 13-9 advantage.
The Mountain Cats maintained the lead over the first five minutes of the second quarter and went up 15-11 on a Clapper bucket at 6:55. However, IUP came back. The Crimson Hawks hit three 3-pointers and used seven points from Rajah Fink down the stretch to regain the lead 27-15 at the half.
Three straight points from Clapper got the Mountain Cats back to within nine to begin the second half. IUP was able to extend it to 17, before
Cassidy Crawford's 3-pointer cut it to 39-25 after three quarters.
The Mountain Cats then got a pair of free-throws from
Kylah Franklin less than a minute into the final quarter to narrow it to 39-27, but Pitt-Johnstown just wasn't able to claw back.
Neither team a great shooting day. The Mountain Cats just couldn't get it going offensively, but defensively, Pitt-Johnstown held IUP to 38.9% shooting.
Fink's game-high 21 points and Justina Mascara's 15 points led the way for IUP, now 21-7 overall and 15-7 in the PSAC West.
Pitt-Johnstown closes out the regular season with a PSAC road game at IUP on Saturday, before the 2022 PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament begins on Feb. 28.
