PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Facing what was assuredly its stiffest test of the season, Pitt-Johnstown more than held its own through a gritty first half of an exhibition game against ACC power Pittsburgh.

The Mountain Cats were down by only five at the break before falling 100-65 to the Division I Panthers on Monday night at the Petersen Events Center.

In their first opportunity to see where they measure up ahead of the regular-season opener on Nov. 14, the Mountain Cats shot 53.1% (17-of-32) from the floor, including 50% (6-of-12) from beyond the arc against a revamped Pittsburgh roster.

Senior Will Kromka drilled a game-high four 3-pointers and paced the Mountain Cats with 20 points, all of them coming in the first 20 minutes. His second three near the midway point of the opening half stretched the Mountain Cats' lead to 23-14, their largest of the evening.

Junior Adam Bilinsky knocked down three triples and finished with 15 points, while fellow junior Baden Forup contributed 14 points and a team-high five rebounds. Sophomore Jay Rose chipped in nine points.

Pittsburgh bounced back with a 12-2 run to take the lead for good, but Pitt-Johnstown continued to battle over the final eight minutes. 

Forup capped a 6-0 run with a jumper to bring the Mountain Cats to within 36-33 with 3:35 to play in the half. Kromka hit another three less than a minute later to make it 37-36. Nick Watts, who had five points in 16 minutes, capped an impressive first half with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 47-42 at intermission.

The Panthers, however, turned up the defensive pressure out of the break to help fuel a 24-5 run and take a 71-47 advantage with 14 minutes left. 

By the end of the night, veteran coach Bob Rukavina made sure every dressed player saw time on the court.

The Mountain Cats will have scrimmages against West Liberty and Lock Haven in the coming weeks before opening up the regular-season against Lincoln University at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14 as part of the IUP Tip-Off Tournament.