Pitt-Johnstown did everything it could down the stretch, but its furious comeback attempt fell short in an 80-66 loss to Lock Haven in what was the PSAC opener for both teams on Friday evening at Thomas Fieldhouse. The Mountain Cats dropped to 2-4 on the season.

Andy Zuchelli, who played all 40 minutes, hit a game-high five triples and matched his season-high with 17 points. Ryan Smith tallied 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Andrew Shull had 13 points, while freshman Gavin Headings chipped in 10 points, five boards and three steals.

Pitt-Johnstown played from behind for the entirety of the second half and went down by as many as 16 after a traditional three-point play from Justice Shoats made it 51-35.

But Zuchelli, Smith and Shull each knocked down a trey and registered five points in the midst of a 17-6 rally that brought the Mountain Cats to within 57-52 with 12:31 left to play.

The Bald Eagles pushed the lead back to 12 after Shoats converted on a layup to cap a 10-3 rally. But the Mountain Cats refused to go quietly, scoring nine of the next 10 points to trim the deficit to 68-64 on a fastbreak layup courtesy of Smith with less than five minutes to go.

Lock Haven staved off the comeback by finishing the game on a 12-2 run that was spearheaded by Jalen Gorham's eight points.

The Mountain Cats finished 45% from the field, but largely hung around because of a 12 for 21 (57%) performance from beyond the arc.

Nick Watts put Pitt-Johnstown in front 18-16 following a pair of free throws midway through the first half. The Bald Eagles grabbed the lead for good on a layup from Collin Jones, who had 12 points during an extended 27-13 run over the final 11 minutes that placed the Mountain Cats in a 43-31 hole at halftime.

Shoats had a game-high 22 points, while Jones provided 21 for Lock Haven, which notched its third straight victory after starting the year 0-2.

The Mountain Cats visit Mansfield for another crossover matchup on Saturday with tip-off set for 3 p.m.