Junior guard Peyton Alazaus drilled four 3-pointers and poured in a team-high 20 points, but it wasn't enough as Pitt-Johnstown was edged late by California (PA) 79-70 in its home finale on Wednesday evening in the Sports Center. The Mountain Cats slipped to 15-12 (12-9 PSAC West).

Senior Ashley Norling totaled 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting, grabbed a team-high six rebounds and dished out five assists. Makalyn Clapper added 13 points, while Cassidy Crawford scored 11 points and pulled down five boards.

Crawford gave the Mountain Cats their last lead of the game when she connected on a pair of free throws to make it 63-62 with 6:40 remaining. The Vulcans responded by scoring 12 of the next 15 points and went up 74-66 on a pair of free throws with just 57 seconds to play.

Alazaus hit a deep three on Pitt-Johnstown's ensuing possession to cut the deficit to five, but Cal made 5 of 6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to secure the victory.

Pitt-Johnstown shot 49.2% (29 of 59) from the field, while Cal managed to shoot at a 50.9% (27 of 53) clip. The difference came at the free throw line where the Vulcans made 22 of their 25 attempts.

The Mountain Cats outscored the Vulcans 21-19 in the second frame and held a 40-37 lead at the break after Alazaus drained a triple with just 23 seconds left.

Cal led by as many as five in the opening quarter, but Molly Wagoner capped a 7-1 burst with a turnaround layup to put the Mountain Cats ahead 19-18 heading into the second. 

Rajah Fink dropped a game-high 26 points and snagged seven rebounds to pace Cal, which improved to 17-10 (13-8 PSAC West).

Pitt-Johnstown secured its fourth straight appearance in the PSAC Tournament by virtue of losses by both Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock on Wednesday. The Mountain Cats need a win in their regular season finale at Slippery Rock slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday and some help to lock up a home playoff game. The conference tournament kicks off with first round games set for Monday.