Pitt-Johnstown did enough to remain within striking distance, but couldn't quite close the gap in a 106-88 non-conference loss to South Carolina Beaufort on Saturday at the Sports Center.

For the second straight contest, six Mountain Cats (2-2) reached double-figures led by Vinnie Cugini's team-best 15 points. Jay Rose earned his first double-double of the season, notching 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Baden Forup went 7-of-8 at the free-throw line and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Sean Dillon had 13 points and four assists. Ryan Smith tallied 11 points and six boards, and Nick Watts provided a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

The Mountain Cats hung around with the Sand Sharks until midway through the second half and even cut the deficit to three when Smith connected on a jumper with 13 minutes remaining that made it 72-69.

The Sand Sharks pushed the lead to nine, but a pair of free throws from Dillon with 8:54 left once again trimmed it to two possessions at 83-78.

But South Carolina Beaufort had an answer, rattling off a 10-1 run that put them up 93-79 with less than five minutes to go. The Mountain Cats never found a way to claw back.

Pitt-Johnstown held a 52-36 rebounding advantage and a 24-16 edge in second chance points, but it wasn't enough to counteract a 56.9% (41-of-72) shooting performance from the Sand Sharks.

The Mountain Cats will travel to Buffalo, New York on Monday to face D'Youville in a 6 p.m. tip-off.