EDINBORO Fighting Scots (13-12, 10-11 PSAC West) vs. PITT-JOHNSTOWN Mountain Cats (12-13, 9-12 PSAC West)
Wednesday, February 25 | 7:30 p.m. | Edinboro, Pa. | McComb FieldhouseMedia Coverage: Live Stats | Media Live Stats | Radio | Video
EDINBORO: Game Notes | Game Program | Roster | Season Statistics | Schedule
PITT-JOHNSTOWN: Roster | Season Statistics | Schedule
The Game Stories• Wednesday's matchup is crucial for both Edinboro and Pitt-Johnstown, as both teams can clinch a PSAC Tournament berth with a victory. Two of the six PSAC Tournament spots in the PSAC Western Division still remain on the final night of the regular season Wednesday, as Gannon, Mercyhurst, IUP and Slippery Rock have all clinched a spot in the postseason.• The Fighting Scots sit in fifth place with a 10-11 mark in conference play, while the Mountain Cats and California (Pa.) are tied for sixth in the division with 9-11 ledgers. Edinboro can clinch its first PSAC Tournament berth since the 2012-13 season with a victory or a Vulcan loss to Slippery Rock Wednesday. With a win over UPJ, the Fighting Scots would finish fifth in the division. If Edinboro were to lose to the Mountain Cats and California were to fall to Slippery Rock, the Fighting Scots would finish sixth in the division.• With a loss to UPJ tonight and a California win against The Rock, Edinboro would lose a three-way tiebreaker to the Mountain Cats and Vulcans.• The Fighting Scots have won two consecutive games following an 81-69 road triumph at Clarion last Wednesday and an upset victory over then 16th-ranked Indiana (Pa.) at McComb Fieldhouse on Feb. 14.• Jaymon Mason was named the PSAC Western Division Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week and sixth time overall this season, conference officials announced on Monday. Mason dropped in 13 points, knocking down 3-of-5 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws to go along with four rebounds and four assists in Edinboro's 81-69 victory over Clarion on Wednesday.
• Henri Wade-Chatman ranks second in the PSAC in scoring at 18.9 points per game, trailing only Lock Haven's Wali Hepburn at 19. markers per contest. Casey Baker paces the Fighting Scots and ranks 13th in the conference in rebounding at 6.6 boards per game, while ranking 27th in NCAA Division II with 3.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Mason sits fifth in the league in free throw percentage, shooting 85.2 percent from the charity stripe. Sam Sealy-James ranks second in the PSAC and 12th in the country with 2.4 blocked shots per game. On TV/Radio
The Edinboro-Pitt-Johnstown game can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with Mike Fenner providing the play-by-play and Tyler Trumbauer the color commentary. The game will also air on ETV, with an online live stream available at http://edinboro.tv/.The Edinboro-Pitt-Johnstown Series Edinboro leads 18-6• The series dates back to the 1969-70 season.• UPJ won both meetings last season, before the Fighting Scots topped the Mountain Cats 77-61 on the road earlier this season. • Edinboro won seven of eight games prior to last season, with the last meeting coming during the 1997-98 season. • The Fighting Scots have won 10 of the last 11 meetings betwen the teams at McComb Fieldhouse. • The Mountain Cats joined the PSAC last season after previously competing in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). The Last Meeting
1/24/15 - Edinboro 77, Pitt-Johnstown 61• Henri Wade-Chatman scored a game-high 27 points, while Casey Baker and Tommy Scales each notched double-doubles to propel Edinboro to a 77-61 victory over Pitt-Johnstown at the Sports Center in Johnstown, Pa. • Wade-Chatman connected on 9-of-18 field goals, including 2-of-5 shots from behind the arc. The junior guard knocked down 7-of-8 shots from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds and three assists. • Baker posted his first double-double of the season and 10th of his career with a season-high 19 points, 17 coming in the second half, to go along with 10 boards. • Scales finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, marking his second double-double of the season. The 6'8'' center shot 6-of-8 from the field in the victory. • Will Marrow contributed six boards, four steals and three blocked shots for the Fighting Scots. • Dale Clancy paced UPJ with 15 points, followed by Matt Palo with 14 markers. • Edinboro forced the Mountain Cats to shoot a season-low 32.2 percent (20-of-62) from the field. The Fighting Scots also outscored UPJ in the paint 42-20. The Coaches
Edinboro - Pat Cleary (Edinboro '99)
• Cleary is in his second year as head coach of the Fighting Scots, leading Edinboro to an 23-28 record in that time.
• Cleary took over for his mentor Greg Walcavich, who spent 24 years at the helm of the Edinboro program.
• He previously worked as an assistant under Walcavich for 16 years, first as a student aide before becoming a full-time assistant coach.
• Cleary is credited for recruiting many of Edinboro's top contributors in recent years.
Pitt-Johnstown - Bob Rukavina (IUP '85)
• Rukavina is in his 26th season in charge of the Mountain Cats program, showing a record of 416-295 in that time. He is the all-time winningest coach in program history.
• He has led the Mountain Cats to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and seven 20-win seasons during his tenure.
• Prior to leading the Mountain Cats, he previously served as the head coach at Community College of Allegheny County - South Campus.
• Rukavina is 3-9 all-time against Edinboro
Last Time Out
2/18/15 - Edinboro 81, Clarion 69
• Six Fighting Scots scored in double-figures as Edinboro topped Clarion 81-69 last Wednesday night at Tippin Gymnasium.
• Henri Wade-Chatman paced six Fighting Scots in double-figures with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting.
• Casey Baker tallied 14 markers, making 4-of-9 field goals and a perfect 6-of-6 shots from the free throw line. The senior forward also grabbed nine boards.
• Will Marrow dropped in 13 points, connecting on 5-of-7 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 tries from behind the arc. Marrow also dished out a game-high five assists.
• Tommy Scales notched his third double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 10 boards. The 6'8'' center made 5-of-7 field goals in the win.
• Sam Sealy-James had a career-high 10 points on the night, scoring in double-figures for the first time in his career. He posted a perfect shooting line, connecting on 4-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws.
• Jaymon Mason finished with 13 markers, making 7-of-9 free throws.
• The Fighting Scots used a 15-5 second half run, including a 10-0 surge at one point to gain a 57-46 advantage with 10:55 remaining in the game. The spurt was keyed by five points from Mason and a dunk by Wade-Chatman.
• Later in the half, Clarion fought back with a 9-2 surge to cut the Fighting Scots' lead to five points at 63-58 with just over six minutes to play. However, Edinboro would answer with an 11-5 run highlighted by a 3-pointer by Jeremy Lynch and a Sealy-James dunk to build the Fighting Scots' advantage back to 11 points at 74-63 with 3:42 to play.
• Edinboro did not let the lead dip below nine points from that point on.
2/21/15 – Indiana (Pa.) 78, UPJ 65
• Ian Vescovi scored a career-high 28 points and Matt Palo had 18 points in their final games in the Sports Center, but Indiana (Pa.) used 20-5 second half run on their way to a 78-65 PSAC victory on Saturday.
• The Mountain Cats held a 45-41 lead with 15:42 remaining in the game, before the Crimson Hawks went on a 10-2 run to gain a 51-47 advantage at the 11:37 mark of the second half.
• A Vescovi old-fashioned 3-point play on Pitt-Johnstown's next possession cut it to one, but IUP scored the next 11, extending the surge to 20-5 and pushing its lead into double-digits at 61-50.
• The Crimson Hawks built their lead to as many as 15 at 69-54 with 5:19 to play.
• Vescovi's career- and game-high 28 points led the way for UPJ. Palo had 18 points and nine rebounds, while Snodgrass tallied nine points.
Scouting UPJ
• Pitt-Johnstown is tied for sixth place in the PSAC Western Divison standings with a 9-12 mark in conference play. The Mountain Cats have dropped three straight games, but can clinch a PSAC Tournament berth with a victory on Wednesday.
• A.J. Leahey comes into Wednesday's matchup as the Mountain Cats' leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, good for 18th in the PSAC in scoring. The 6'7'' forward also sits second on the team and 10th in the conference in rebounding at 7.0 boards per contest. Leahey paces the league and ranks second in NCAA Division II shooting 51.5 percent (70-of-136) from behind the arc, while ranking second in the PSAC with 2.8 3-point field goals made per game.
• Ian Vescovi, a Preseason All-PSAC Western Divison selection, paces the Mountain Cats and ranks seventh in the league in rebounding at 7.6 rebounds per game. The 6'9'' center is third on the team in scoring at 12.5 markers per game. Vescovi was a second team All-PSAC West pick last season. He currently ranks 24th on the Mountain Cats' All-Time Scoring List with 1,038 career points and fifth on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Rebounding List with 639 rebounds.
• Matt Palo ranks third on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game. A 6'5'' guard is averaging 18.5 markers and 6.0 rebounds in his last two games.
• Palo shares the backcourt with 6'1'' point guard Nate Snodgrass (7.3 ppg.) and 6'3'' guard Rich Audu (7.1 ppg.), a transfer from Division I Siena.
