Hayden Taylor dropped a team-high 17 points and snatched six rebounds, and Pitt-Johnstown trailed only briefly over the final three quarters in a 68-54 victory over Mansfield on Saturday afternoon at Marion Decker Gymnasium.

Less than 24 hours after a last-minute setback to Lock Haven, the Mountain Cats bounced back with an admirable defensive performance, forcing 18 turnovers to collect their first conference win and improve to 5-2 (1-1 PSAC) on the season.

Olivia Fasick recorded 15 points, three assists and three steals. The senior point guard from Harrisburg, Pa. is now just 12 points shy of becoming the 39th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.

Peyton Alazaus had 14 points and six boards, while Camille Dominick, who made her first career start, totaled six points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Mansfield took its last lead at 36-35 on a layup from Kennedy Stroup with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter. Pitt-Johnstown ended the quarter on a 10-0 run that was capped off with a layup from Riley Childress to go in front 45-36 and seize control for good.

The Mountain Cats led by as many as 19 in the fourth after Fasick drilled a triple with 4:23 remaining. Despite a trying day offensively for the most part, they redeemed themselves in the final quarter, finishing 8-for-10 from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 mark from 3-point range.

Pitt-Johnstown limited Mansfield to a season-low 31% (21 of 68) shooting clip that included just a 2-for-17 mark from deep.

The defense also helped the Mountain Cats go up by 11 on three separate occasions in the second quarter before taking a 30-26 advantage into the break.

Jasmine Hilton totaled a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who fell to 4-2 on the year.

The Mountain Cats will be idle for nearly the next two weeks before visiting Wheeling (WV) on Dec. 15 with tip-off set for 5 p.m.