Pitt-Johnstown nearly bounced all the way back from a double-digit halftime deficit before suffering an 84-73 setback to IUP on Wednesday night at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

The Mountain Cats slipped to 8-9 (4-6 PSAC).

Senior guard Ryan Smith led the way with a team-high 21 points, while also contributing four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sean Dillon tallied 13 points, 10 of them coming over the final 20 minutes, to go along with six rebounds and three steals.

Baden Forup added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Vinnie Cugini provided 11 points and four rebounds. Will Kromka chipped in 10 points.

The Mountain Cats were down by as many as 21 after an and-one from the Hawks made it 59-38 about three minutes into the second half. The climb out of that hole was methodical over the next 10 minutes. 

A quick 9-0 run capped off by a layup from Cugini cut the deficit to 59-47 with less than 13 minutes remaining.

IUP led 73-61 at the 5:49 mark before Kromka jump started a furious 8-1 run that made it a two-possession game. Forup's layup with 3:17 left trimmed it to 74-69, but it was all the closer the Mountain Cats would get. IUP scored four straight points to go back up by nine and hang on from there.

The Mountain Cats recorded 25 points off 15 IUP turnovers, which helped spark the rally. They also outscored the Hawks in the paint 40-36.

It was far from a smooth start as the Mountain Cats found themselves in a 10-0 hole four minutes into the game. After a layup from Smith broke the ice, they played catch-up for the rest of the first half. Five straight points, including a 3-pointer from Cugini sent the Mountain Cats into the locker room down 47-32.

Tyler Grove recorded a game-high 22 points for the Hawks, who evened their record at 8-8 (4-4 PSAC). Damir Brooks provided 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Mountain Cats host California (Pa.) on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Sports Center in the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team.