Pitt-Johnstown could not recover from an 8-point halftime deficit in a 71-57 setback to West Chester in a PSAC crossover matchup on Tuesday afternoon at the Sports Center.

The Mountain Cats sit at 7-5 (3-2 PSAC) with just one game left before opening PSAC West play.

Baden Forup provided team-highs 14 points and seven rebounds and was the only Mountain Cat to reach double-figures in scoring. Ryan Smith added eight points and four steals. The senior guard is just 16 points away from becoming the 35th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points.

Points came at a premium for both teams early on in the first half. Jay Rose made up a layup at the 12:40 mark to tie the game at 11-all, and a little more than a minute later, Nick Watts connected on two free throws to give the Mountain Cats a 13-11 lead.

Will Kromka's jumper with 9:26 to play in the half put the Mountain Cats on top 16-15, but it was the last time they found themselves in command.

Adam Bilinsky cut West Chester's advantage to 33-28 with 1:27 left in the half, but Pitt-Johnstown trailed 36-28 heading into the locker room.

Elijah Allen had a game-high 27 points for West Chester, which moved to 9-2 (5-0 PSAC).

The Mountain Cats visit Shepherd on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off.