JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball team came tantalizingly close to completing a signature upset victory on Wednesday night against rival Indiana (Pa.).
But of the two rebuilding Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams on the Sports Center floor, the Crimson Hawks are a bit more accustomed to winning tight games.
Pitt-Johnstown twice had the ball with fewer than 20 seconds remaining and a chance to win.
The Mountain Cats’ final possession concluded as junior guard Ryan Smith’s short jumper hit the rim and rolled out at the buzzer, giving visiting Indiana (Pa.) a 73-72 victory.
“You couldn’t ask for a better effort,” said Pitt-Johnstown coach Bob Rukavina, whose 5-11 team replaced six graduates among a group of four-year starters. “We started making shots in the second half and got on a run. They are a program used to winning games, and they managed to get it done at the end.
“That’s what we have to get better at, finishing the game.”
Indiana (10-5, 7-2 PSAC) led 73-69 after Garvin Clarke (27 points, 10 rebounds) made a jump shot in the paint with 25 seconds left.
Pitt-Johnstown’s Will Kromka answered with a 3-pointer from the left side with :18 on the clock.
Indiana lost the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass, but Pitt-Johnstown followed suit and turned over its own inbound attempt.
The Mountain Cats fouled Clarke, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. Pitt-Johnstown redshirt freshman Nick Watts (19 points, seven rebounds, five assists) grabbed the misfire.
“Just some chaos at the end,” said North Star High School graduate Andy Zuchelli, a junior guard who scored 18 points, with four 3-pointers and five assists. “We thought we had it. Some stuff didn’t go our way.”
Smith scored 18 points and had five rebounds. Kromka had 12 points and six boards for the Mountain Cats, who lost another close contest, 100-95, at Edinboro on Saturday.
“I think we played great. We gave it our all,” Zuchelli said. “Coach was talking all week about how these games (against Indiana) are so exciting, one of the most fun games of the year. It definitely was.”
Indiana senior Bryce Radford had 15 points, and junior KJ Rhodes scored 11 points and had nine rebounds. Senior Ethan Porterfield, a 6-foot-8 forward, was limited to six points, but grabbed 12 rebounds and had three blocks.
“Their big guy and leading scorer, we just had two guys on him the whole time and it worked,” Rukavina said of Porterfield. “We made guys that weren’t used to taking shots, take them.”
Indiana coach Joe Lombardi credited the Pitt-Johnstown strategy. The Crimson Hawks led 33-29 at halftime. The Mountain Cats led by as many as six points in the second half.
“UPJ had a good game plan,” Lombardi said. “They zoned up on our power forward. They weren’t going to let Ethan (Porterfield) beat them around the bucket.
“They weren’t going to let him get pick and pops.
“We struggled with that early. We hadn’t seen that before to that degree.
“We found a few solutions in the second half and executed better.”
Indiana is 20-2 against Pitt-Johnstown since November 2013.
The Mountain Cats’ most recent win over Indiana was Jan. 24, 2022 (70-68 at the Sports Center).
“We’re learning, too,” Lombardi said.
“We lost three first-team all-league guys (to graduation). It’s not like we have a lot of guys who are back. We lost the best two-way guard in the league, (junior) Dallas Dillard, to a knee injury. Those are four starters lost from last year. Another guy came down with tonsillitis and didn’t make the trip. We’re dealing with different stuff.
“It’s one of those years.”
Rukavina certainly can relate.
“I’m still real optimistic. I’ve been telling them all year we’re all of a sudden going to start winning some games,” Rukavina said.
“I still believe that. The effort is there every day in practice. Tonight we made a really good effort the whole game.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
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