EDINBORO, Pa. – The final score read Pitt-Johnstown 86, Edinboro 77. Not the result head coach Pat Cleary was looking for from his men's basketball team. But while his Fighting Scots fell to 4-8 overall and 2-6 in PSAC West action, the fourth-year can take solace in the effort his team put form in rallying from a 22-point halftime deficit.
 
A hot-shooting Pitt-Johnstown team, now 9-5 and 4-4 in league play, jumped out to a 46-24 lead at the half. The Mountain Cats used a 14-0 run, along with a 56.3 percent shooting figure in the half, to post a seemingly safe halftime advantage. Edinboro, meanwhile, shot just 28.1 percent in the first twenty minutes.
 
UPJ's lead still stood at 16 points at 76-60 with 4:39 to play when the Fighting Scots staged a stirring comeback. Over the next three-and-a-half minutes Edinboro outscored the Mountain Cats, 12-2, to pull to within six points.
 

Michael Sims Jr. started the rally with a layup. Mike Beck followed with one of his three 3-pointers on the evening, before Sims scored on another layup. Beck's driving layup ended a string of nine straight points for the Scots as they pulled to 76-69.
 
UPJ would interrupt the run with a Jake Laravie layup, but Edinboro answered with a Sims' 3-pointer to cut the margin to 78-72. That was the closest the contest had been since just under ten minutes remained in the first half. The Fighting Scots had an opportunity to get even closer, but missed layups on their next two possessions.
 
Forced to foul, Edinboro sent UPJ to the line over the final minute, with the Mountain Cats making 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.
 
After the cold shooting effort in the first half, Edinboro shot 56.8 percent over the final twenty minutes to finish at 43.5 percent for the game (30-of-69). That included making 7-of-11 3-pointers. UPJ, meanwhile, ended the night at 52.5 percent (32-of-61), including 6-of-13 on 3-pointers. The Mountain Cats also made 16-of-21 free throws, compared to a an 8-for-14 showing for the Fighting Scots.
 
Edinboro held a 39-32 advantage on the glass, but the Fighting Scots were guilty of 14 turnovers, compared to 10 for UPJ. The Mountain Cats turned that into a 25-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Mikael Anderson paced the Fighting Scots with a career-high 25 points, falling one rebound shy of a double-double while pulling down nine rebounds. The senior swingman made 9-of-17 field goals, including 3-of-4 3-pointers, and was 4-of-6 at the line.
 
After a tough first half in which he made just 1-of-7 shots and had four points, Jaymon Mason, the leading scorer in the PSAC, came back to finish with 17 markers. He added seven assists with just one turnover. The redshirt junior guard moved into 18th place in career scoring with 1,206 points.       
 

Beck added a season-high 15 points, making 6-of-11 field goals, with 3-of-6 3-pointers. After not playing in the first half, Sims came off the bench to spark the Fighting Scots' second–half rally. The sophomore guard totaled seven points, four rebounds, and three assists in 16 minutes. He had scored just 12 points in the previous 11 games. Maceo Baston turned in another strong effort off the bench with five points and eight rebounds.
 
Leahey, who came in as the sixth-leading scorer in the PSAC, had a perfect shooting night for UPJ, going 6-for-6 from the field, 2-of-2 on 3-pointers, and 6-for-6 from the line to finish with 22 points. He added a team-high nine rebounds.
 
He was one of four Mountain Cats in double figures. Dale Clancy added 20 points, six assists, and four steals, while Isaac Vescovi had 18 points and six assists. Levi Masua contributed 10 points off the bench.   
 
In the midst of a five-games-in-12-days stretch, Edinboro is back in action on Monday, January 9 at Bloomsburg. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.