JOHNSTOWN -- The Pitt-Johnstown women’s basketball team closed out the 2019-20 home schedule on a high note. After honoring this year’s seniors, the Mountain Cats completed the season sweep over Seton Hill with a 74-67 victory, Wednesday night in the Sports Center. Gabrielle Smith scored 22 points in her final game in the Sports Center to help the Mountain Cats improve to 16-11 overall and 11-10 in the PSAC West.
Prior to tip-off, Head Coach Mike Drahos and the women’s basketball program recognized Katie Bolden, Maurina Nunn, Alli McGrath, and Smith.
Smith’s 22 points paced three Pitt-Johnstown double-digit scorers. Olivia Fasick scored 11 points, and McGrath chipped-in 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. The Mountain Cats also got nine points and five rebounds from Maddie Shanahan, six points from Mia Oterson, and five points and five rebounds from Ashley Norling.
Pitt-Johnstown, which shot 61.5% in the first quarter, jumped out to a 17-11 lead on McGrath’s free-throw that closed an 11-0 run, and two of Smith’s 10 first quarter points helped keep that lead entering the second quarter.
Cheyenne Trest’s layup and free-throw got the Griffins back to within three, but the Mountain Cats outscored Seton Hill, 10-2, over the next 2:23 to extend the lead to 11 on Fasick’s bucket at 5:19. Seton Hill made it a six-point game with under a minute left in the half, before Fasick’s 3-pointer at the buzzer put Pitt-Johnstown on top 37-28.
After Oterson’s layup to open the third quarter got the lead back out to 11, Seton Hill followed with a, 14-4, run of its own to cut it to 43-42 on two Katie Nolan free-throws. Pitt-Johnstown pushed it back out to seven and took a five-point advantage into the final quarter.
The Griffins kept it close and got it down to two with 2:31 to play, but the Mountain Cats connected on six straight free-throws in the final 1:07 to seal the win.
Pitt-Johnstown ended the night shooting 45.8% (27-59) from the field, 5-9 from 3-point range, and 15-19 from the free-throw line. Seton Hill shot 41.4% (24-58) from the floor, but just 4-20 from behind the arc. The Griffins were also 15-16 from the line.
Nolan’s game-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Trest’s 12 points paced Seton Hill, which fell to 13-14 overall and 7-14 in the PSAC West.
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