Edinboro, Pa. –
Emma Elash scored a career-high 18 points to help the Edinboro women's basketball team hold off visiting Pitt-Johnstown 70-69 in PSAC West action inside McComb Fieldhouse.
In the fourth, Monica Brow split a pair of free throws at 9:21 to push the Edinboro lead to 59-45. The Mountain Cats clawed back into the game with a 19-8 spurt capped by an Ashley Norling layup with 25 seconds to play to cut the lead to 67-64.
After
Bella Burrelli hit one of two from the line, Kylah Franklin scored with 3 seconds to play to make the score 68-66 Scots. Elash hit both free throws with just over a second left to extend the lead to four which was key as Peyton Alazaus hit a triple at the buzzer to set the final.
Holding a 40-31 advantage in the third quarter, Edinboro went on a 12-5 run to build their largest lead of the game, 52-36, with 2:00 minutes left in the frame. The teams traded baskets with the Scots holding a 58-43 advantage after the third.
The Scots trailed 11-6 with 4:07 to play in the first quarter, but scored eight straight points to grab a 14-11 advantage. UPJ got a pair of free throws from Cassidy Crawford, but
Rana Elhusseini scored four straight to end the quarter and Edinboro an 18-13 edge.
The gap narrowed to three, 24-21, after a Makalyn Clapper bucket with 7:56 remaining in the second, but the Scots responded with an 11-2 run to extend the lead to 35-23 with 2:19 on the clock. The Mountain Cats scored the next five points to trim the lead to 35-28, but Haley Sims connected on a pair of free throws to send Edinboro in to the break up 37-28.
Elash was an efficient 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while hitting all eight of her free throws. Elhusseini notched 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Bella Burrelli pulled down 10 boards to go with six points.
Alazaus paced the Mountain Cats with 19 points while Franklin turned in 15. Norling had a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Scots are back in action when they play the front half of a home-and-home with Clarion on Monday at Tippin Gymnasium. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
