EDINBORO, Pa. – The Edinboro women's basketball team rallied from a late deficit in the fourth quarter, to defeat Pitt-Johnstown, 61-56 on Monday night. Edinboro entered the contest ranked 15th in the WBCA Division Top 25 and were 25th in the D2SIDA Top 25 Poll.
 
With the win, the Fighting Scots improve to 12-1 overall and 8-1 in the PSAC West, while the Mountain Cats fall to 7-7 and 4-5 in conference play. Edinboro remains undefeated at McComb Fieldhouse with a 6-0 record. Monday's contest was also the Fighting Scots third game in the last six days, and marked the end of a three-game homestand.
 
Entering the fourth quarter, both teams were knotted at 42 points. With 3:15 remaining in the game, UPJ's Alexis Hartwick gave the Mountain Cats a 54-51 lead on a 3-pointer. On the other end, Michaela Barnes responded with a 3-pointer, followed by a layup, which ignited a 10-1 Edinboro run to end the contest.
 
Pitt-Johnstown's size caused Edinboro issues throughout the contest, as the Fighting Scots were without two key reserves. The Fighting Scots were without reserve forward Allison Thompson, who was out due to injury. Cheniya Sharpe would join Thompson on the bench, as the forward left the first quarter with an injury.
 

Ciara Rosten and Whitney Allen stepped up in the absence of the two forwards two forwards by tying or registering career-high's in rebounds, points and steals, respectfully. Rosten tied her career-high of 16 rebounds, with six coming on the offensive glass. The 6'2" senior forward also scored eight points, had four assists, and blocked five baskets, extending her streak of at least three blocks in a contest to eight straight. As for Allen, she set a career-high with four steals, and tied a career-best of 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The 6'1" graduate student also grabbed seven rebounds, before fouling out.
 
All of Edinboro's 61 points came from the starting five. Jontay Walton led all players in scoring with 18 points and five assists. Barnes also scored in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 4-of-6 free throws. Michelle Jahn scored nine points and blocked two shots.
 
Olivia McCabe led Pitt-Johnstown in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-10 from the field, brought down six boards, and blocked two shots. McCabe entered the contest leading the PSAC in rebounds, averaging 11.4 rpg. Alexis Hartwick scored a season-high 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals. Gabrielle Smith nearly recorded a double-double with 11 points and nine boards.
 
Edinboro shot 33.8 percent (24-of-71) from the field, while the Mountain Cats made 37.7 percent (20-of-53) of their baskets. The Fighting Scots outscored Pitt-Johnstown in the paint, 32-22, had a 16-10 advantage in points off turnovers, and led 9-0 in point scored on fast break opportunities. The Mountain Cats made three more free throws (11-for-16) than Edinboro (8-for-14), but had two more attempts than the Scots.
 
Edinboro returns to action on Wednesday when travel to north to face Gannon. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.