CLARION, Pa. --- For the third straight game the Golden Eagles men's basketball team had the ball in their hands with the chance to tie in the final seconds of regulation, but a three-point miss before time expired led to a Pitt-Johnstown win as the Mountain Cats survived a 68-65 effort against Clarion at Tippin Gym.
 
Trailing by 10 points with 5:31 to play, the Golden Eagles chipped away at the Mountain Cats' lead for the remainder of the half, putting themselves in position to potentially send the game to overtime before regulation ended. Cam Kearney kicked off a 6-0 run with a bucket and also added two free throws – sandwiched around a make from Kendon Peebles – to make it 60-56 with 2:35 to go. Adam Bilinsky and Vinnie Cugini scored on back-to-back possessions to make it a seven-point game, but a trey by Justice Easter and a layup by Kearney with 19 seconds to go again made it a three-point game.
 
Clarion got two key breaks over the course of the final 19 seconds, but was unable to take advantage and tie the game. The first came on the ensuing possession after Kearney's layup, when Peebles forced Cugini into a turnover on the sideline to give the Golden Eagles the ball in the offensive end. Bilinsky got a stop when he blocked Kearney's shot on the next possession, and the Golden Eagles were forced to foul as the Mountain Cats took possession.
 
The next break came just moments later. Ryan Smith missed both of his free throw attempts on the opposite end of the floor, keeping it a one-possession game. Traden Gray cleanly pulled down the defensive rebound and advanced the ball ahead, but Justice Easter's game-tying three-point attempt was just off the mark as the Mountain Cats held on for the win.
 
Easter was terrific throughout the game, finishing with a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Kearney tied the game-high with 20 points, with the majority of those coming in the second half when he caught fire, and Trey Nelson added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
Clarion had the better of UPJ in the first few minutes of action, outscoring the Mountain Cats 15-8 through the 12:02 mark of the first. Easter and Jeremy Thomas II accounted for 10 of those points, including a two-handed dunk by the latter and a three-pointer from the former. The lead dwindled through the 6:06 mark when Smith hit a three-pointer to put Pitt-Johnstown ahead 19-18 and the teams traded scores the rest of the half, capped by a make from Kearney to make it 26-25. The Mountain Cats scored the final four points of the half, taking a 29-26 lead at the break.   
  Read Full Article