The Pitt-Johnstown men's and women's basketball teams return home to host a PSAC Western Division doubleheader against California (PA), Wednesday evening in the Sports Center.  The women's game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m., before the men take on the nationally-ranked Vulcans at 7:30 p.m.
 
Head Coach Mike Drahos' and the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats come in at 15-10 overall and 10-9 in the PSAC following a dominating 75-44, win at Slippery Rock on Saturday.  Lexi Margolis had career-highs of 17 points and four assists, while Kylah Franklin and Cassidy Crawford had 12 and 10 points, respectively to lead a balanced attack that saw 11 Mountain Cats score at least two points.
 
Olivia Fasick stands in 25^th-place on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Scoring List with 1,177 points, six points shy of Samantha Connor (2002-06) for 25^th place.  Fasick also needs six assists to move into fifth place on the Mountain Cat All-Time Assists List.  Peyton Alazaus is tied with Helen Young (1999-03) for 37^th on the scoring list with 1,036 points and seven 3-pointers away of tying Kelsey Sleighter's (2011-15) Pitt-Johnstown career-record of 199.
 
California (PA), under 13^th-year Head Coach Jess Strom, has won three straight games and is 17-7 overall and 12-6 in conference-play.  The Vulcans are coming off of an 84-53 victory over Clarion last Wednesday.  Sierra Bermudez scored 16 points, Iyahnna Williams, had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Dejah Terrell collected 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
On Jan. 24, in California, the Vulcans held off the Mountain Cats, 89-86 in overtime. Crawford scored a game-high 27 points, while Alazaus and Hayden Taylor scored 21 and 15 points, respectively, to lead Pitt-Johnstown.  California (PA) got 21 points and a game-high eight rebounds from Terrell, and 19 points apiece from Bermudez and Williams.
 
 
 
Pitt-Johnstown, under Head Coach Bob Rukavina, slipped to 6-19 overall and 4-15 in the PSAC following Saturday's narrow, 61-58, loss at Slippery Rock.  Gavin Headings scored 14 points and had a game-high 12 rebounds, Nick Watts netted 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Elijah Sechler finished with 10 points and six rebounds to pace the Mountain Cats.  Andy Zuchelli also had nine points, seven rebounds, and a game-best four assists.
 
Sixth-year Head Coach Danny Sancomb's California (PA) Vulcans, ranked 14^th in the Division II National Coaches Poll and 18^th in the D2CSC Media Poll, have won three straight games and come in at 21-3 overall and 15-3 in the PSAC.  The Vulcans dealt Clarion a 95-66 loss last Wednesday.  KJ McClurg had game-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Zyan Collins and Donald Whitehead, Jr. each scored 17 points.  On Feb. 10, California (PA) earned an 80-69 win at Slippery Rock behind McClurg's 36 points and nine rebounds.
 
Since the 1971-72 season, Pitt-Johnstown and California (PA) have split the 50 meetings between the teams.  The Vulcans have won the previous two meetings, including a 95-74 victory in California on Jan. 24.  Zuchelli's 20 points and Headings' 13 points paced four Mountain Cat double-figure scorers.  California (PA) was led by McClurg's game-high 25 points and Jermaine Hall, Jr.'s 24 points and seven boards.
 
Pitt-Johnstown goes to nationally-ranked Gannon for conference games on Sunday, before closing out the 2023-24 regular season with a PSAC doubleheader against Seton Hill, next Wednesday evening in the Sports Center.