• Edinboro looks to start a new winning streak after having its five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday. The Fighting Scots battled Kutztown, one of the top teams in the PSAC East, before Ethan Ridgeway's jumper just inside the 3-point arc gave the Golden Bears a 91-89 victory. The five-game winning streak was the longest since the 2008-09 squad rank off eight straight wins to start the season. The Fighting Scots are now 9-3 overall, bettering last year's win total when they finished with an 8-18 record while being ravaged by injuries.         
• The Fighting Scots were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the PSAC West, but they are now 6-1 in league play and sitting atop the PSAC West. Edinboro's last 16 games, including the Pitt-Johnstown game, are against PSAC West opponents. Edinboro is ranked tenth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region rankings.  
• Pitt-Johnstown comes in with a 6-6 record and is 4-4 in PSAC action after suffering a 73-69 loss to Gannon on Saturday. The Mountain Cats have now lost back-to-back games at home to Indiana(pa.) and Gannon by a total of nine points. They were picked to finish sixth in the PSAC West after finishing at 19-11 a year ago under veteran head coach Bob Rukavina. 
• The contest will feature two of the top scorers in the PSAC, with Edinboro's Keshawn Liggins leading the conference in both scoring (24.3 ppg.) and rebounding (11.1 rpg.), and UPJ's Isaac Vescovi averaging 21.1 ppg. That is good for sixth. Vescovi and Dale Clancy both are 1,000-point scorers for the Mountain Cats. Meanwhile, Jaymon Mason is nine points shy of moving into second place in career scoring at Edinboro.   
• Edinboro is in the midst of a six-game stretch without a game outside of Erie County. Five of those games are at McComb Fieldhouse, including the Seton Hill game, and one at Gannon. The Fighting Scots are 6-0 at home. This is also the third game of a stretch of four games in the next eight days.        
• The Fighting Scots showcase three players capable of putting up big numbers. Jaymon Mason is Edinboro's third all-time leading scorer with 1,731 points. He is now healthy after being hampered by an early-season injury, and had his 15th career 30-point game against Kutztown, finishing with a season-high 33 points. He has boosted his average to 16.6 ppg. Keshawn Liggins, a transfer from Idaho State, is leading the team and PSAC in both scoring and rebounding, averaging a double-double at 24.3 ppg. and 11.1 rpg. The 6'5" senior is also tops on the team in assistsz with 44. He dropped in a career-high 39 points against Seton Hill, his third straight 30-point effort and fifth this year. Liggins has had eight double-doubles after finishing with 26 points and 11 boards vs. Kutztown. Anthony Coleman adds 16.3 ppg. He previously played at Cincinnati State CC, and has scored 20-or-more points in four games.

• The Edinboro-Pitt-Johnstown game can be heard on WFSE-FM 88.9. Dakota Palmer will be handling the play-by-play with Madison Gross providing color commentary.  In addition, this year Edinboro is part of the PSAC Network. All men's and women's home basketball games will be streamed live through Stretch Internet. 

• Edinboro leads 20-9: Edinboro has won three of the last five meetings.
• First Meeting: 1969-70 – Edinboro 115, UPJ 55
• Last Meeting: 2016-17 – UPJ 100, Edinboro 85   
• Current Streak: Pitt-Johnstown has won the last two meetings
• Cleary vs. UPJ: 3-5 

• Jaymon Mason scored a career-high 40 points, but it wasn't enough in a 100-85 loss at Pitt-Johnstown. Mason recorded the first 40-point game by a Fighting Scot in 16 years, when Blake Johnson netted 43 points against Shippensburg in 2000-01.
• Mason went 16-of-26 from the floor, making 4-of-9 3-pointers, and made 4-of-5 free throws. 
• Maceo Baston added a career-high 22 points in his third career start at Edinboro. He also led the team with seven rebounds. He made 7-of-11 shots from the floor, while posting a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
• Edinboro shot a season-best 54.2 percent (32-for-59), but UPJ.shot a sizzling 66.1 percent (39-for-59), including a 17-for-30 showing from 3-point range. The Mountain Cats shot 70.0 percent in the second half (21-of-30). 
• Jake Laravie made 11-of-13 3-pointers on his way to 33 points, adding 10 assists, Isaac Vescovi scored 26 points, making 11-of-14 shots from the floor. Dale Clancy had 14 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, while AJ Leahey had 13 points, seven assists and five boards.
• Trailing 49-39 at halftime, the Fighting Scots opened the second half making their first four 3-point attempts, with the last one by Mike Beck to trim UPJ's lead to 62-59 with 13:25 to play. It would be as close as they would come, however, as the Mountain Cats responded with a 16-7 run, to build the lead to 78-66 with 7:19 remaining.

• Pat Cleary was introduced as Edinboro's tenth head coach on March 26, 2013 after head coach Greg Walcavich announced his retirement. Cleary served as Walcavich's assistant coach for 14 years.
• The 9-2 start is the best since Cleary took over as head coach. 
• Cleary's first three teams improved each year since his appointment, with his 2015-16 team earning the third seed in the PSAC West Tournament with a 15-11 overall record and 14-8 league mark. A year ago the Fighting Scots came in at 8-18 overall and 6-16 in the PSAC West, with injuries forcing the Fighting Scots to suit up as few as seven players in February.
• He guided Edinboro to the PSAC Tournament for the first time in 2014-15 with a 14-13 record, a four-game improvement over his first year, after being chosen to finish eighth in the PSAC West preseason poll. His first Boro squad finished 10-16 in 2013-14.

• Rukavina, who earned his 450^th win at Pitt-Johnstown with an 88-67 victory at California University (PA) on Feb. 15, 2017, is in his 29^th season with an overall record of 459-325.  He entered the 2017-18 season ranked among the leaders of active Division II coaches in wins (453) and winning percentage (.587).
• Prior to Bob Rukavina's arrival in 1989, Pitt-Johnstown had only four winning seasons since its inception in 1969. He has led the Mountain Cats to four NCAA Tournament appearances and seven 20-win seasons.
• He was named the 2015-16 PSAC West Coach of the Year after UPJ finished with an 18-11 record and posted a first-round PSAC Tournament win over Seton Hill.
• UPJ has made four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and has posted seven 20-win seasons, including four in a row from 2005-06 through 2008-09.
• In 2007-08, Pitt-Johnstown became a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).  That year, Rukavina guided Pitt-Johnstown to a 23-8 overall record and the WVIAC regular season title with a 17-3 conference record.  He was named the 2007-08 WVIAC Coach of the Year, while leading the Mountain Cats to their third NCAA Tournament appearance.  In 2008-09, Pitt-Johnstown won the WVIAC Tournament title and advanced to its second straight NCAA Tournament.
• Pitt-Johnstown joined the PSAC to begin the 2013-14 season. Rukavina has guided the Mountain Cats to three consecutive conference tournament berths, including back-to-back appearances in the quarterfinals in 2016 and 2017.
  

• Edinboro is off to its best start under fifth-year head coach Pat Cleary at 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the PSAC West. The Fighting Scots are ranked tenth in the latest D2SIDA Atlantic Region rankings and with last Wednesday's 86-74 win over Seton Hill bettered last year's eight wins. They opened the season with four straight games at McComb Fieldhouse, then played their next four games on the road. The road trip got off to a less than promising start with losses at Daemen and Mansfield, but the Fighting Scots righted themselves with wins at Lock Haven and Cheyney. They extended the winning streak to five games, the longest since the 2008-09 edition opened the year with eight straight wins, before Saturday's 91-89 loss to Kutztown. The loss was the first this season at McComb Fieldhouse following six wins.
• Edinboro is averaging 80.2 ppg., ranking eighth in the PSAC in scoring offense, but has boosted that to 88.9 over the last four games. The Fighting Scots rank ninth in the PSAC in scoring defense at 73.2 ppg. Kutztown's 91 points were the most allowed this year.  
• Keshawn Liggins, Anthony Coleman, and Jaymon Mason are combining for over 56 points per game. Each is capable of putting up big numbers. One of them has scored 30-or-more points in eight games, with Liggins reaching the mark in three straight games prior to the Kutztown and five overall. He dropped in a career-high 39 points vs. Seton Hill. Coleman scored 30 points in the upset of then eighth-ranked Shippensburg. When Coleman led Edinboro with 19 points at Lock Haven, it marked the only time Edinboro has not had a scorer reach 20 points.  Mason has now had 15 career 30-point games after scoring a season-high 33 points against Kutztown.
• Third all-time leading scorer and preseason All-American Jaymon Mason battled an early-season injury but is now healthy and playing up to his normal standards. The senior guard comes off a season-high 33-point effort against Kutztown, making 13-of-15 free throws, and is averaging 23.0 ppg. over his last three outings. Mason had 32 points at Daemen, dropping in 6-of-12 3-pointers while going 10-of-11 at the charity stripe.  Mason added 27 points at Cheyney, making 6-of-9 3-pointers. He has boosted his average to 16.6 ppg. The senior guard now has 1,731 career points, needing nine points to move past Walt Askins into second place in career scoring. 
• Keshawn Liggins has had eight double-doubles and has pulled down 10-or-more rebounds in nine contests. The 6'5" senior leads the PSAC in scoring and ranks eighth in Division II at 24.3 rpg. He also leads the team in conference in rebounding at 11.1 ppg., good for tenth nationally. Liggins had a streak of three straight games of 30-or-more points end against Kutztown, as he "settled" for 26 points, adding 11 rebounds and seven assists, Liggins had a career-high 39 points vs. Seton Hill and 38 against Charleston.  He is a transfer from Idaho State and has been an ironman, ranking fifth in the country in minutes per game (38.6). His eight double-doubles ranks third in the PSAC and 12th in Division II.
• Anthony Coleman is another threat to put up big numbers. A transfer from Cincinnati State CC, the 6'3" guard is averaging 16.3 ppg., and has had four games of 20-or-more points, including a career-high 30 points in an upset of Shippensburg. He is Edinboro's top 3-point threat, making 34-of-75. He is fifth in the PSAC in 3-pointers made per game and is second in 3-point percentage (45.3 pct.).
• The Fighting Scots posted the biggest win in Cleary's four-plus seasons as head coach, an 88-86 triumph over eighth-ranked Shippensburg, earlier this year. Edinboro had previously upset 16^th-ranked Indiana(Pa.), 79-77 in overtime, in 2014-15. .
• For the second year in a row, the football team is providing a boost to the basketball team. Offensive lineman Trey Staunch, a former standout in football and basketball at West Middlesex High School, saw his first action against Shippensburg. A two-year starter at right tackle, the 6'3", 265 lb. junior joined the basketball team at the conclusion of the football season. He has proven a huge asset, currently playing just over 12 minutes per game and averaging 4.9 ppg. Staunch scored a season high 12 points in the Charleston game.    
• The combination of Jack Frank and Trey Staunch is providing the Fighting Scots with plenty of production in the post. Frank, a 6'8" junior, is Edinboro's second-leading rebounder at 7.1 per game. He pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds vs. Cal and added 10 more against Seton Hill. Staunch, meanwhile, joined the basketball team upon completion of the football season. The 6'4", 265 lb. junior started all 11 games at right tackle. He had a season-high nine rebounds against Seton Hill.
• Mike Beck scored 19 points in the win over Millersville, and comes in averaging 5.9 ppg. with 16 3-pointers in 39 attempts. The senior swingman's biggest contributions have come on defense, as he has been assigned some of the top scorers in the PSAC.
• The freshman tandem of Alex Jay and Jaryn Simpson have provided the Fighting Scots with valuable minutes. It was never more evident than against Charleston. Jay, a 6'3" guard, scored a season-high 13 points, making 3-of-5 3-pointers, and dished out five assists in 23 minutes. Simpson, a 6'1" guard, added 10 points and five assists in 24 minutes. They played a key role in Saturday's contest against Kutztown, combining for 10 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in 44 minutes. 

Scouting the Mountain Cats

• Pitt-Johnstown is in search of its fourth straight PSAC playoff berth and comes in with a 6-6 overall record and 4-4 in the PSAC. The Mountain Cats dropped their second straight game at home on Saturday, a 73-69 setback to Gannon. They were picked to finish sixth in the PSAC West after posting a 19-11 record a record ago and reaching the PSAC quarterfinals for the second straight year. 
• Long-time head coach Bob Rukavina is the dean of the PSAC coaches, now in his 29th season as the head coach at UPJ. He has a 459-325 career record  
• UPJ has a 0-5 record in games decided by five points or less.
• The Mountain Cats' lineup features a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Dale Clancy and Isaac Vescovi. Clancy, a first team All-PSAC?West selection a year ago, is a senior guard who has scored 1,196 career points. He also ranks in the top ten in career assists and 3-pointers made. Clancy ranks fifth in the PSAC in assists per game and is third in steals per game. He is averaging 15.3 ppg. and has made 29-of-81 3-pointers.  
• Vescovi became the 29th UPJ player with 1,000 career points earlier this year, and now has 1,083 points. The senior forward ranks sixth in the PSAC in scoring at 21.1 ppg., adding 5.5 rpg. The 6'6" Vescovi ranks fifth in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 58.4 pct. (101-of-173). He also leads the conference in free throw percentage at 92.7 pct. (38-of-41). Vescovi had 29 points on Saturday vs. Gannon.
• Like Edinboro, the Mountain Cats possess a trio of scorers, with Josh Wise averaging 15.2 ppg. He is a 6'3" sophomore guard, who adds 5.8 rpg., second on the team. Levia Masua is the team's leading rebounder at 7.1 per game. Masua is a 6'6" senior who also has a team-high 10 blocks.
• Pitt-Johnstown averages 77.5 ppg., good for 11th in the PSAC. The Mountain Cats are seventh in scoring defense at 71.8 ppg. They are tied for second in the PSAC in field goal percentage at 49.1 pct.  
  

• CAREER SCORING: Third all-time with 1,731 points. 
• CAREER SCORING AVERAGE:  Fourth at 19.0 ppg.
• CAREER 3-POINTERS: Is second in career 3-pointers made with 200 3-pointers made and is third in career 3-pointers attempted with 508. Is also seventh in career 3-point field goal percentage at 39.3 percent 
• CAREER FREE THROWS MADE: Broke Bryan Theriot's school record of 402 free throws made in the season opener. Mason now holds the record with 445.   
• CAREER FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED:  Ranks third with 532 free throw attempts.
• CAREER FREE THROW PERCENTAGE:  Ranks sixth at 83.6 percent
• CAREER ASSISTS:  Is seventh with 355
• CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE:  Ranks seventh with 543
• CAREER FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED:  Ranks sixth with 1,261