Sophomore Baden Forup put up a season-high 24 points on a perfect shooting performance, and Pitt-Johnstown took charge over the final six minutes on the way to an impressive 105-93 victory over California (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon at the Sports Center.
The Mountain Cats evened their record at 9-9 and moved to 5-6 in the PSAC.
Forup grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and went 9-for-9 from the field and 6-of-6 at the free-throw line in just 17 minutes of action off the bench.
Senior Ryan Smith contributed three 3-pointers and 22 points, while also gathering a game-high five assists and three boards. Sean Dillon also hit three triples and finished with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. Freshman Jay Rose provided 10 points in 17 minutes.
After their advantage was trimmed to two points with 6:34 left, the Mountain Cats blitzed the Vulcans with a 9-0 run capped off by two free throws from Forup that pushed the lead to 91-80 with less than five minutes remaining.
Rose iced the game with five consecutive points, including a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 16 points, their largest of the game, with just two minutes left. Altogether, Pitt-Johnstown ended the game on a furious 23-13 run that was largely powered by eight points from Forup.
The Mountain Cats racked up a 46-22 points in the paint advantage. That was a significant factor as to why they shot 59% (17-for-29) over the final 20 minutes. They finished with a 56% (37-for-66) clip from the field.
Four straight points from Will Kromka helped the Mountain Cats open up a 7-0 lead to begin the game. They led by as many as nine in the first half when a 3-pointer from Rose made it 35-26 with about seven minutes before the break. It was part of a 50-point opening half that gave the Mountain Cats a slim 50-47 lead going into the locker room.
Donald Whitehead Jr. connected on six 3-pointers and closed with a game-high 28 points for the Vulcans, who dropped to 10-9 (5-6 PSAC).
Pitt-Johnstown will visit PSAC West leader Gannon on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team.
