Peyton Alazaus matched a season-high with five 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 23 points as Pitt-Johnstown manufactured a double-digit lead early on and held on late to secure a 71-61 PSAC crossover victory over Shippensburg on Wednesday night.

The Mountain Cats won for the fifth time in their last six games to move to 9-3 (4-2 PSAC). They also snapped an 8-game losing streak to the Raiders that dated back to 2007.

Cassidy Crawford went a perfect 7 for 7 at the free-throw line and finished with 21 points and a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.  Olivia Fasick contributed 12 points, three steals, three assists and three boards. Alazaus grabbed four rebounds and played all 40 minutes for the first time this season.

While Pitt-Johnstown never trailed and led by as many as 13 on two separate occasions in the third quarter, it took a 7 for 8 performance from the free-throw line in the waning minutes to put Shippensburg away.

A pair of free throws by Crawford gave the Mountain Cats a 59-48 lead with 5:47 left. The Raiders responded with nine straight points in less than two minutes to pull within 59-57 on Bella Chimienti's jumper with less than three minutes remaining.

Crawford drilled a clutch 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down on the ensuing possession to push the lead to 62-57. That sparked what ended up being a game-sealing 8-0 rally that put the Mountain Cats in front 67-57 with 50 seconds to play.

Pitt-Johnstown shot 41.5% (22 of 53) from the field and 37.5% (9 of 24) from deep. The Mountain Cats also sank 18 of their 20 free throw attempts, all of them coming in the second half.

Fasick, Crawford and Alazaus all hit a triple on successive possessions to open the game on a 9-2 spurt. The Mountain Cats led 20-11 after one. A layup by Crawford in the waning seconds of the first half sent them into the break with a 35-27 advantage.

Abbie Miller had a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds for the Raiders, who shot 37.1% (23 of 62) from the floor and 2 for 11 mark from 3-point range in slipping to 1-11 (0-6 PSAC).

The Mountain Cats open up PSAC West play with a visit to Mercyhurst on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off in Erie.