JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Sophia Ott poured in a team-high 14 points, and Pitt-Johnstown took control late in the fourth before hanging on for a 63-57 victory over Shepherd in a PSAC crossover contest on Saturday afternoon in the Sports Center.
Behind a 24-16 scoring advantage in the final quarter, the Mountain Cats improved to 5-8 (2-4 PSAC).
Ott, who led the Mountain Cats in scoring for the second straight game, also added two rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Lexi Margolis racked up 13 points, two rebounds and two steals.
Senior guard Riley Childress provided nine points, a game-high five steals and four rebounds. Freshman guard Alyssa Altemus scored seven points and grabbed a career-high five boards, while M'laya Ainsworth pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Pitt-Johnstown trailed 41-39 heading into the fourth and were down by as many as five in the frame before staging a comeback. Down 48-43, Margolis polished off a game-changing 12-0 run with back-to-back threes to give the Mountain Cats the lead for good.
The lead was trimmed to three points twice in the final two minutes. Altemus knocked down a 3-pointer to stretch the margin to 58-52 with 1:37 remaining, but Shepherd cut it back to three again about a minute later. With the Mountain Cats holding a 60-57 advantage, Margolis sealed it by going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line with 17 seconds left.
The Mountain Cats shot 33.3% (22 of 66) from the field, but hit five 3-pointers, including three in the fourth, and finished 70% (14 of 20) from the free-throw line.
After trailing twice in the first two minutes of the game, Pitt-Johnstown seized control for the rest of the half. A quick 7-0 burst capped by a jumper from Ott afforded the Mountain Cats a 26-16 lead in the second, their largest of the game. They held a narrow 28-25 edge at the break.
Lamaria Estridge recorded a game-high 24 points for Shepherd, which fell to 2-8 (0-5 PSAC).
Pitt-Johnstown will begin PSAC Western Division play with a visit to Indiana (Pa.) for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
