University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Pitt-Johnstown Seal

vs. Seton Hill University - 02/23/13

Search
ATH11_057_NovakN_TNovak's Career-Day Not Enough in Mountain Cats' Loss to Griffins
Novak Sets Career-Field Goals-Made Mark
     02/23/13... (Box Score) Nick Novak (Murrysville, Pa.) scored a career-high 35 points and became Pitt-Johnstown's all-time leader in field goals-made, but it wasn't enough to lift the Mountain Cats to a Senior Day victory, as Seton Hill dealt Pitt-Johnstown an 86-80 loss, Saturday in the Sports Center.  The Mountain Cats ended the regular season at 14-12 overall and 10-12 in the WVIAC.
     Prior to the game, Pitt-Johnstown recognized seniors Noah Hartung (Butler, Pa.), Jordan Miller (Vinco, Pa.) and Novak. 
     Novak, who needed three baskets to tie Justin Walther's (1996-2000) school record of 735, connected on 14-of-24 field goal attempts to take over the lead with 746.
     The Mountain Cats ran out to a quick 9-4 lead three minutes in on two of Novak's 17 first half points.
     Seton Hill came right back to knot it at nine, before a Novak's 3-pointer extended it back out to five at 14-9 at the 15-minute mark.
     That would be the largest lead for either team the rest of the half.  After the teams exchanged baskets for the next 12 minutes, the Griffins took their first lead of the day at 34-33 on Kameron Taylor's lay-up with 3:27 left.
     Two Novak free-throws gave the lead back to Pitt-Johnstown, but Oliver McGlade sand a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to give Seton Hill a slim 42-30 halftime lead.
     Bill Luther's (Gibsonia, Pa.) bucket in the paint early in the second half gave the lead back to the Mountain Cats.
     Again the lead see-sawed back-and-forth, until Ozren Bjelogrlic hit consecutive 3-pointers that gave the Griffins a 67-61 lead at 9:06.
     Three-pointers by Luther and Novak tied it at 69 less than a minute later, but Malachi Leonard's conventional 3-point play with 2:13 put the Griffins in the lead for good.
     Miller's 3-pointer with 25 seconds on the clock cut it to 83-80, but Seton Hill made 5-6 free-throws down the stretch to seal the win. 
     Novak holds the Mountain Cat record for assists (535) and field goals-made (746) and is second on the all-time scoring list (1,988 pts.).  Miller is Pitt-Johnstown's all-time leader in 3-point field goals with 292 and is also 10th on the scoring list (1,357 pts.) and 10th on the assists list (322 assts.), while Luther is fourth on the career 3-point field goals list with 178.
     Novak's carer-high 35 points led all scorers and the Mountain Cats who scored in double figures.  Luther finished with 12 points, and Andrew Cressler (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 10 points and five rebounds.  Paul Weatherly (Johnstown, Pa.) chipped-in nine points, and Hartung grabbed a game-high seven rebounds for the Mountain Cats.
     Pitt-Johnstown shot 53.4% (31-58) from the field, 8-16 from 3-point range, and 10-12 from the free-throw line.  The Griffins finished at 56.9% (29-51) from the floor and 9-15 from behind the 3-point line.  Seton Hill also made 19 of its 23 free-throw attempts.
     McGlade's 25 points paced four Seton Hill players who scored in double figures.  The Griffins improved to 15-11 overall and 12-10 in the WVIAC.
     The Mountain Cats will open the 2013 WVIAC Tournament on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at a site to be determined.


Contact the Web Master Team

Copyright © 2008, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown, PA 15904, 814-269-7000