Pitt-Johnstown got game-highs of 30 points and 11 rebounds from John Paul Kromka, but Amante Britt's 3-pointer with just :03 remaining lifted Slippery Rock to a 71-70 victory over Pitt-Johnstown in Saturday's regular season finale in Slippery Rock.  The Mountain Cats, who will host the Rock in Monday's first round of the PSAC Tournament, are 19-9 overall and 15-7 in conference-play.
 
Pitt-Johnstown, the No. 3 seed in the Western Division, will tip-off the 2023 PSAC Men's Basketball Tournament Monday night in the Sports Center against West No. 6 Slippery Rock.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
Kromka finished the day with 30 points on 11-14 shooting and 8-10 from the line, while Drew Magestro added 11 points and five boards off the bench for the Mountain Cats.  Jared Jakubick had six points and five rebounds, while Joe Batt had five points and six rebounds, and Andrew Shull chipped-in five points, four boards, and four assists.  Caiden Landis also scored six points.
 
In a tight first half, Slippery Rock jumped out to a early five-point advantage, but the Mountain Cats bounced back with a 13-5 run over the next four minutes to regain the lead.  Kromka's layup tied it and Magestro followed with a 3-pointer to put the Mountain Cats up, 18-15 with 10:19 to go in the first half.
 
After a Khalid Gates bucket gave the lead back to the Rock, Bobby Clifford scored in the paint with :05 to go to give Slippery Rock a slim, 36-32, halftime lead.
 
Slippery Rock stayed hot and scored the first six points of the second half to extend the lead to 42-32, before a bucket in the paint from Ryan Smith got the Mountain Cats back to within four at, 42-38.
 
Pitt-Johnstown kept coming Kromka's layup midway through the half made it a two-point game.
 
The Mountain Cats erased the deficit and tied it at 66 on two Kromka free-throws at 3:14.
 
The, with under :30 to play, Kromka and Jakubick each hit a free-throw to put Pitt-Johnston up, 70-68.
 
However, Britt connected on the late 3-pointer that gave the Rock the narrow victory.
 
Pitt-Johnstown shot a solid 48.2% (27-56) from the floor, 6-19 from behind the arc, and 10-13 from the line, while holding Slippery Rock to 42.4% (28-66) shooting. The Rock was also 6-19 from 3-point range and 9-13 from the charity stripe.
 
Gates had 13 points and Lashon Linsey collected 12 points and six rebounds for Slippery Rock, now 17-11 overall and 11-11 in the PSAC.