EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Pitt-Johnstown strung together a dominant second half to erase an early eight-point deficit before holding off East Stroudsburg in the final minutes for an impressive 83-79 victory in a PSAC crossover game on Saturday afternoon at Koehler Fieldhouse.
The Mountain Cats improved to 8-3 and 2-1 in the PSAC behind four double digit-scorers led by a game-high 21 points from Jay Rose, who hit three of their four 3-pointers and added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Baden Forup provided his team-high sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. He finished 8-for-12 from the floor and had two assists, two steals and a block.
Adam Bilinsky shot 6-for-10 and contributed 17 points, four assists and two steals in a game-high 36 minutes on the floor. Vinnie Cugini netted 12 points and grabbed five rebounds.
The Mountain Cats turned around a 43-38 halftime deficit with a blistering second-half performance that saw them shoot 64.2% (18 of 28), leading to a 45-36 scoring advantage after the break.
In a game that featured six ties and 13 lead changes, Pitt-Johnstown bounced back to take the lead for good when Baden Forup scored on a layup with 6:23 left that gave the Mountain Cats a 70-69 advantage. It ignited an 8-0 run that Rose capped with a layup to extend the lead to 76-69 with less than five minutes remaining.
They needed every point down the stretch to hang on as its lead was cut to 83-79 with about a minute to go. Fortunately, Forup connected on the back end of a trip to the free-throw line to push the lead to four with 48 seconds left. It would prove pivotal as the Mountain Cats held the Warriors to 0-for-3 from deep over the final 27 seconds.
At one point, Pitt-Johnstown trailed 29-21 midway through the first half but fought back to stay within two possessions for the remainder of the half. Bilinsky hit a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 40-38 with 1:03 before halftime.
The Mountain Cats held a 54-42 edge in points in the paint and staked a narrow 38-37 rebounding advantage.
Ethan Maynard and Adrian Brito each had recorded 12 points to pace East Stroudsburg, which fell to 7-2 (1-2 PSAC).
Pitt-Johnstown will visit Kutztown for a 3 p.m. tip-off on Sunday.
