Peyton Alazaus scored 23 points to become Pitt-Johnstown's 40^th 1,000-point scorer and the second Mountain Cat this season to reach the mark, while Cassidy Crawford added a game-high 27 points, but California (PA) was able to hold off Pitt-Johnstown for 89-86 overtime PSAC Western Division win, Wednesday night in California. The Mountain Cats are now 12-6 overall and 7-5 in conference-play.
 
Alazaus, who entered the game 17 points shy of the milestone, reached the mark with a 3-pointer with 5:21 to play in the third quarter.  On Dec. 18, Olivia Fasick also joined the 1,000-point club in a Mountain Cat victory over Bloomsburg in the Sports Center.
 
Alazaus went 7-14 from behind the arc, while Crawford shot 11-20 from the floor and 5-8 from the line to lead the Mountain Cats.  Hayden Taylor tallied 15 points, Kylah Franklin had nine points and five boards, and Fasick finished with eight points and a career-high 14 assists for Pitt-Johnstown.
 
California (PA) hit 7 of its first 14 shots to take a nine-point advantage with 3:23 to go in the opening quarter.  Pitt-Johnstown used a pair of 3-pointers from Alazaus and one from Fasick to cut it to one, before two more of Alazaus' 11 first quarter points capped a 15-5 run and gave the Mountain Cats their first lead at 20-19 with 1:04 to go.  Imaya Williams followed with a layup to give the Vulcans a 21-20 lead.
 
The Mountain Cats, who shot 60% over the first 20 minutes and connected on six 3-pointers, went back on top by one on a Crawford 3-pointer midway through the second quarter and got another 3-pointer from Alazaus of two more of Crawford's 16 first half points with under a minute to go to take a 40-35 lead into halftime.
 
The Vulcans came out in the second half and outscored the Mountain Cats, 8-2, to regain the lead by one, but Pitt-Johnstown answered again.  This time with a 14-5 run over the next four minutes.  Two more buckets from behind the arc from Alazaus and a Belle Bosch layup at 4:17 gave the Mountain Cats a 56-48 advantage.  Pitt-Johnstown maintained the lead and took a 58-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Fasick's 3-pointer quickly extended it to 61-54, but California (PA) battled back to cut it to 67-66 at on Alicia Young's basket and Dejah Terrell's conventional 3-point play a minute later gave the lead back to the Vulcans, 69-67.  It stayed tight down the stretch with four ties and four lead changes, but Fasick's jumper as time expired erased a two-point Mountain Cat deficit and sent it to overtime knotted at 77.
 
Alicia Young's jumper with a minute remaining in the extra period put California (PA) in front, 86-81, but Alazaus knocked down her seventh 3-pointer to cut it to one with :09 left.  However, Sierra Bermudez made a pair of free-throws and Alazaus' 3-pointer at the buzzer would not fall and the Vulcans held on for the narrow victory.
 
The Mountain Cats shot a solid 48.4% (31-64) from the field, 11-24 from behind the 3-point line, and 13-21 from the line.  The Vulcans ended the night shooting 51.6% (33-64), but were held to just 4-14 on 3-pointers.  California (PA) was 19-25 from the charity stripe.
 
Terrell had 21 points and eight rebounds, and Iyahnna Williams and Bermudez each scored 19 points for California (PA), which won its fourth straight game and improved to 13-4 overall and 8-3 in the PSAC.
 
Pitt-Johnstown will celebrate Winterfest Weekend with a PSAC West doubleheader with the men's team against nationally-ranked Gannon on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. in the Sports Center, before traveling to a conference game at Seton Hill on Monday.