Cassidy Crawford delivered her fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Pitt-Johnstown overcame a challenging start by asserting itself throughout the second half to hammer East Stroudsburg 79-41 in a PSAC crossover matchup on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the fewest amount of points the Mountain Cats have allowed to an opponent all season. They led by double-digits for the vast majority of the second half to secure their fourth straight win and head into the holiday break at 8-2 (3-1 PSAC).
Less than 24 hours after notching her 1,000th career point, Olivia Fasick provided 15 points and six assists. Peyton Alazaus contributed 14 points, and sophomore Lexi Margolis came off the bench in the fourth quarter to drill four 3-pointers and set a career-high with 12 points.
The game-altering sequence took place in the early stages of the third quarter when the Mountain Cats went on an extended 13-3 run to open up a 41-27 lead with 4:42 remaining, their largest to that point.
Fasick's traditional three-point play with 12 seconds left in the quarter increased the margin to 52-35 going into the fourth. The Mountain Cats limited the Warriors to just 17 second half points, including only three field goals and six points in the final quarter.
After shooting just 21% in the first, Pitt-Johnstown shot 60% from the field in the second half and produced the most over the final 10 minutes, going 10 for 15 to post 27 points. They made life difficult on the defensive end as well, forcing 19 Warrior turnovers, 12 of them coming after halftime.
The Mountain Cats knocked down 11 of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc and held a 34-31 advantage on the glass.
East Stroudsburg led by six before Crawford drilled a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the first quarter to pull the Mountain Cats within 12-9. A 10-2 run to begin the second gave Pitt-Johnstown a 19-14 advantage it never surrendered.
Katie Geisler totaled a team-high 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Warriors, who slipped to 3-6 (1-3 PSAC).
After a 10-day hiatus for Christmas break, Pitt-Johnstown visits Kutztown on Dec. 30 for a 1 p.m. tip-off in another PSAC crossover matchup.
