Head Coach Mike Drahos' Pitt-Johnstown women's basketball team earned the No. 5-seed in the Western Division to secure its fourth straight berth in the PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament. The Mountain Cats will face fourth seeded Indiana (PA) for the third time in Monday's opening round. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Indiana.
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The winner of Monday's opening round match-up advances to the PSAC Quarterfinals at Western Division No.1-Seeded Gannon on Wednesday.
The top six teams from both the Eastern and Western divisions earned an opportunity to compete in PSAC Women's Basketball Championship. The top two teams from each division earned a first-round bye. The highest remaining seed from the PSAC's Western Division will host the semifinals and finals. The tournament winner claims an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament.
Pitt-Johnstown wrapped-up the 202-23 regular season at 16-12 overall and 13-9 in the PSAC West following Saturday's 78-69 victory at Slippery Rock.
Ashley Norling had game-high 22 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 11 assists and
Peyton Alazaus added 15 points and a game-high 11 boards. The Mountain Cats also got 14 points apiece from
Hayden Taylor and
Makalyn Clapper.
Norling (14.4 ppg.), Alazaus (14.3 ppg.), and
Olivia Fasick (11.2 ppg.) are all averaging in double figures in scoring, while Norling's 7.9 rebounds per game pace Pitt-Johnstown. Fasick leads the team in assist at 5.2 assists per game.
IUP, 18-9 overall and 13-9 in the PSAC under fifth-year
Interim Head Coach Craig Carey, is coming off of a 71-65 loss to California (PA) on Saturday. Gina Adams and Maria Cerro each scored 19 points to pace five Crimson Hawks who scored in double figures.
Kierra Baughman's 14.9 points and Cerro's 14.6 points lead five IUP Players scoring in double figures, while
Tierra Preston and
Alana Cardona lead the team in rebounding at 9.1 and 7.9 rebounds per game, respectively.
Pitt-Johnstown and IUP split two games during the regular season. On Jan. 14 in the Sports Center, Alazaus had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Norling tallied 15 points to lead four Mountain Cat double figures to at 62-42 win. The Crimson Hawks answered with a narrow, 70-66 victory in Indiana on Feb. 8. Alazaus and Clapper each scored 15 points for Pitt-Johnstown. Cerro's 21 points led the way for IUP.
