Pitt-Johnstown could not overcome a frustrating second half that shut down hopes of a possible comeback bid in a 55-41 setback to California (Pa.) on Wednesday night in the Sports Center. The untimely scoring drought dropped the Mountain Cats to 15-11, 10-10 in the PSAC.

Senior forward Cassidy Crawford was the only player to reach double-figures, pouring in a team-high 15 points to pair with five rebounds. Senior Olivia Fasick and freshman Belle Bosch each contributed six points.

The Mountain Cats built a short-lived 12-8 lead, their largest of the game, after two free throws from Fasick with less than two minutes remaining in the first. Sierra Bermudez connected on a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to knot it at 16-16 heading to the second.

Jordan Smith scored on a jumper to give Cal (Pa.) an 18-16 lead that it never relinquished. Bosch notched a pair of layups in the second quarter that brought the Mountain Cats to within one possession each time, but an extended rally was not in the cards as they went into halftime down 34-29.

Pitt-Johnstown turned 18 Cal (Pa.) turnovers into 15 points and racked up a 30-20 edge in points in the paint. Despite limiting the Vulcans to 1-for-11 from the field in the third quarter, the Mountain Cats could not rise above their own 2-for-15 shooting slump that put them in a 43-33 deficit by the end of the quarter.

Both teams were erratic from the field. Pitt-Johnstown shot 30.8% (16-for-52), while Cal (Pa.) managed just a 32.1% (18-for-56) mark. The Vulcans were 14-of-18 from the free-throw line, while the Mountain Cats were 8-for-10.

Dejah Terrell proved to be the difference-maker after finishing with a game-high 25 points for the Vulcans, who moved one step closer towards locking up a PSAC Tournament berth by improving to 18-7, 13-6 in the PSAC.

Pitt-Johnstown visits nationally ranked Gannon on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tip-off in the final road game of the regular-season.