Pitt-Johnstown enjoyed its most efficent offensive half to date, but could not hold off a spirited second half rally by Edinboro in a narrow 100-95 defeat on Saturday afternoon at McComb Fieldhouse.

After an exceptional start where they led by as many as 15 on two separate occasions, the Mountain Cats were outscored 52-42 over the final 20 minutes and dropped to 5-10 (3-6 PSAC).

Five Mountain Cats reached double-digits in scoring led by freshman Gavin Headings, who recorded his second consecutive double-double and fifth of the season by scoring a career-high 23 points to pair with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Andy Zuchelli drilled a team-high three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and six assists. Ryan Smith went 7 for 11 from the floor and added 16 points. Andrew Shull provided 13 points and five assists, while Will Kromka chipped in 12 points and four boards.

Pitt-Johnstown bounded out to a 16-11 edge before a 15-5 run capped by a jumper from Smith extended the lead to 31-16 midway through the first half. The Mountain Cats maintained that double-digit advantage until Bernie Blunt hit a triple for the Scots to shrink the lead to seven at 48-41. Despite a 12-5 run by Edinboro to end the half, Pitt-Johnstown led 53-48 at the break courtesy of a 61.7% (21 of 34) mark from the field that also included a 5 for 6 performance from distance.

The Mountain Cats generated positive momentum out of the locker room with an 11-2 burst to go back up by 14 on Kromka's second 3-pointer of the game. The Scots responded with a furious 21-7 spurt to knot the game at 71-all with 10:52 remaining.

The last few minutes became a back-and-forth affair. Smith's jumper put the Mountain Cats in front 88-87 with 3:30 to go, but the Scots struck with a 7-0 run polished off by a three from Bernie Blunt to take control for good with less than a minute and a half to play.

Zuchelli cut the deficit to 96-93 with 59 seconds to go, but four free throws from Edinboro down the stretch sealed it. The Mountain Cats were still efficient from the field in the second half, going 15 for 26 (57.6%), but 14 total turnovers became too much to overcome.

Blunt finished with a game-high five 3-pointers and 26 points and also contributed six assists and five rebounds for Edinboro, which boosted its record to 4-11 (3-6 PSAC).

Pitt-Johnstown welcomes IUP to the Sports Center on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.