JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Senior guard Riley Childress poured in a team-high 19 points to lift Pitt-Johnstown to a hard-fought 62-53 PSAC West victory over Edinboro on Saturday afternoon at the Sports Center.

The Mountain Cats improved to 8-15 (5-11 PSAC) and have won two of the last three games as they battle for a playoff spot with just four regular-season games remaining.

Childress hit three of Pitt-Johnstown's six 3-pointers and provided five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Sophia Ott shot 6 of 9 from the floor and contributed 12 points and two steals in 24 minutes off the bench.

Coming off back-to-back career-highs in scoring, senior guard Lexi Margolis had nine points, five rebounds and three assists. 

All seven lead changes occurred over the first two quarters. After trailing 17-11 at the end of one, Pitt-Johnstown turned it around thanks to a dominant second quarter where it outscored the Scots 21-5.

Throughout the first seven-plus minutes, the Mountain Cats ventured on a 13-2 run that was capped by a jumper from Ott that made it 24-19. 

They held Edinboro to just 1 of 11 from the field in the second and carved out a 32-22 advantage heading into the break after Childress completed a conventional three-point play in the final seconds.

Ott's layup at the 6:52 mark broke up an 8-0 run by Edinboro to open the third and put the Mountain Cats in front 34-30. When the lead was trimmed to one a little more than a minute later, Ott hit a jumper and Margolis drilled a 3 to push it to 42-36. Both teams struggled over the final four minutes of the frame as Pitt-Johnstown took a 46-41 edge into the fourth.

The only points scored throughout the first four-plus minutes of the fourth came on a layup from freshman Angel Ezirim and two free throws from Margolis that extended the lead to 50-41. Pitt-Johnstown went 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute — which included a 5-for-6 performance from Childress — to seal it.

The Mountain Cats flipped 25 turnovers by the Scots into 24 points. They amassed a 33-30 rebounding advantage and limited Edinboro to just 34.7% (17 of 49) from the field and an 0 for 13 mark from beyond the 3-point arc.

Rachael Manfredo scored 19 points for the Scots, who dropped to 14-11 (11-5 PSAC).

Pitt-Johnstown will host California (Pa.) for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday to wrap up a three-game homestand.