Lexi Margolis scored a career-high 23 points and Angel Ezirim added a career-best 21 points to lift the Pitt-Johnstown women's basketball team to a 76-72, overtime PSAC West victory at Slippery rock on Saturday.  The Mountain Cats are now 7-14 overall and 4-10 in conference-play.
 
Along with her career-high in points, Margolis pulled down six rebounds, while added five boards to her career-high 21 points to pace the Mountain Cats.  Liv West posted a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Riley Childress dished out a game-high nine assists.  Pitt-Johnstown also got five points and five boards from Sophia Ott, and five rebounds from Alyssa Altemus.
 
Pitt-Johnstown knocked down three of its first four shots and used a Margolis 3-pointer to run out to a 7-0 lead just over two minutes in.  Slippery Rock responded with a 13-3 run over the next six minutes to go on top 13-10 on a Kayley Joseph-Bernard layup, but the Mountain Cats got a bucket from Childress late in the quarter to regain the lead, 16-15.
 
Six straight points to begin the second quarter, including back-to-back baskets from Ezirim, quickly got Pitt-Johnstown's lead back out to seven.  The Rock answered again.  This time with a 13-4 spurt, capped by Sophia Hook's 3-pointer at 3:06, to give Slippery Rock a 28-26 advantage, before two of Margolis's 11 first half points helped the Mountain Cats score the final seven points and take a 33-28 lead into halftime.
 
Five more unanswered points from Ezirim pushed Pitt-Johnstown's lead into double figures 1:29 into the second half.  Slippery Rock clawed back to within two on a pair of Mairan Haggerty free-throws with 1:38 left in the quarter, but Margolis connected on two three-pointers down the stretch to get the Mountain Cats lead back out to eight at 55-47.
 
The Rock kept it close and tied it on four occasions with the last coming two Ilyanna Wade free-throws to knot it at 66 with :21 in regulation and force overtime.
 
In the extra period, Ezirim's basket at 1:58 broke a 70-all tie and put the Mountain Cats on top for good.  Camille Dominick followed with a basket in the paint and Pitt-Johnstown held on for the four-point victory.
 
The Mountain Cats, who turned 17 Rock turnovers into 16 points, shot an even 38.0% (30-79) from the floor with five 3-pointers, while limiting Slippery Rock to 36.8% (25-68) shooting.  Pitt-Johnstown was 11-15 from the free-throw line and the Rock made 13 of its 16 attempts.
 
Wade had 19 points, Hook had 15 points, and Joseph-Bernard tallied 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Slippery Rock, now 6-14 overall and tied with Pitt-Johnstown in the PSAC West at 4-10.
 
Pitt-Johnstown returns home to begin a three-game home stand starting with a PSAC Western Division doubleheader with the men's team against Indiana (PA), Wednesday evening in the Sports Center.  The women's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with the men's game to follow at 7:30 p.m.