University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
vs. Eastern University - 11/16/07
Mountain Cats Roll, 113-60, Over Eastern to Open UPJ-Cummings Trophies & Engraving Classic
11/16/07...Head Coach Bob Rukavina's Mountain Cat basketball team tipped off the 2007-08 season with a dominating, 113-60, win over Eastern University in Friday night's opening round of the Pitt Johnstown-Cummings Trophies & Engraving Classic in the Sports Center. Chris Gilliam (Baltimore, MD) scored a game-high 26 points and Quinton Davis (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 22 points for Pitt Johnstown.
Pitt Johnstown jumped out to a 63-29 halftime lead on 52.4% shooting in the first half. The Mountain Cats increased the lead to 56 points with with 3:00 to play before cruising to the victory.
Gilliam, who started the night ranked ninth on the Mountain Cat All-Time Scoring List, climbed one spot to eighth place with his 26 points on his 11-12 shooting performance from the field. He now has 1,180 career points. Gilliam also grabbed nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end, while Davis finished the night 8-11 from the field and 2-2 from three-point range. Davis also pulled down nine rebounds.
Every Mountain Cat dented the scoring column in the the 53-point win. Coach Rukavina also got 13 points, three rebounds and six assists from senior guard Rashad Mintz (Washington, D.C.), nine points and seven rebounds from Marcus Tullis (Johnstown, Pa.) and nine points and five rebounds from freshman Danny Branch (Washington, D.C.). Sophomore forward Steve Heidenthal (Clymer, Pa.) had a career-high 11 rebounds, and Jordan Medich (North Huntingdon, Pa.) chipped in eight points and a career-high seven rebounds. William Sharpe (Johnstown, Pa.) scored eight points, had five rebounds and tied for team-high with six assists.
The Mountain Cats ended the night shooting 52.4% (44-84) from the field, 22.7% (5-22) from behind the three-point line and 71.4% (20-28) from the free-throw line, while holding the Eagles to just 33.3% (24-72) shooting from the field and 35.7% (10-28) from three-point range.
Ben Kuiken's 12 points led Eastern, while Zac Musser had six rebounds.
In Friday's first game, Chris Banal poured in 31 points to lead West Liberty State (WV) College to an 83-77 win over Clarion University. Josh Yanke and Lamar Richburg each scored 17 points for Clarion in a losing cause.
Last Reviewed: November 17, 2007