Johnstown, Pa. – The Edinboro women's basketball team dropped a 62-53 decision to host Pitt-Johnstown Saturday afternoon in PSAC West play.
 
Edinboro grabbed an early lead with a pair of Rachael Manfredo layups sandwiching two Taylor Blunt free throws to put the Scots up 6-3 at the 7:28 mark. The Mountain Cats took the lead back with a pair of layups before Manfredo gave Edinboro the lead back 8-7 with a bucket with 6:19 on the clock. Maura Suman extended the lead to 10-7 midway through the first quarter.
 
UPJ scored the next four points grabbing an 11-10 advantage on a M'Laya Ainsworth layup. Blunt scored back-to-back buckets and Hope Garrity scored a two to put the Scots up 17-11 after the first.
 
In the second, the Mountain Cats scored the first five points of the quarter to close the gap to 17-16. Ava Haddad scored a layup at 8:44 to push the lead back to 19-16. UPJ scored the next eight points to take a 24-19 lead on a Sophia Ott jumper with 3:08 left in the quarter. Suman stopped the run with a free throw at the 2:39 mark but the Mountain Cats scored five straight to go up 29-20. Manfredo hit two free throws to cut the lead to 29-22. Riley Childress closed the half with an and-one to take a 32-22 lead that UPJ would take into the break.
 
The Scots came out of the half with an 8-0 run capped by a Blunt old-fashion 3-point play to cut the lead to 32-30 at the 8:28 mark. The Mountain Cats pushed the lead back to five, 37-32, on a 3-pointer from Childress. Two Blunt free throws and a Manfredo layup pulled Edinboro within 37-36 with 5:14 left in the third.
 
UPJ scored the next five points to extend the lead to 42-36. Haddad made a free throw and Manfredo a layup to close the gap to 42-39 at the 2:52 mark. The teams traded baskets in the final minute of the third with UPJ taking a 46-41 advantage to the fourth.
 
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle with UPJ extending the lead to 52-42 on an Ott layup with 5:17 left. The Scots closed the gap to 56-50 on a pair of Manfredo free throws with 53 seconds to play, but the Mountain Cats went 6-of-6 from the line in the final minute to hold off the Edinboro push.

The Scots had a tough day from the field shooting just 17-of-49 from the floor and going without a 3-point basket.
 
Manfredo led the Scot offense with 19 points to go with six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Blunt tallied 16 points and three boards. Haddad pulled down a team-best nine boards to go with six points.
 
Childress paced the Mountain Cats with 19 points, five rebounds and four steals. Ott added 12 points.
 
The Scots return home to McComb Fieldhouse on Wednesday when they host Clarion at 5:30 p.m.