JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Shepherd University rallied from a 16-point deficit late in the second half, but Pitt Johnstown held on for a 92-90 victory in WVIAC men’s basketball action at UPJ on Monday night. Senior guard Derek Gallagher (Moon Township, PA/Moon Area) launched a three-point attempt with two seconds left, but Andy Byer grabbed the rebound to give the Mountain Cats the win.

Nick Novak scored a game-high 23 points to pace UPJ. Patrick Grubbs added 18 points, while Danny Branch tossed in 15.

Junior forward Dave Karlson (Cameroon, Africa/Montgomery-Germantown) paced the Rams with 20 points and senior guard Tyrone Roach (Capitol Heights, MD/Montgomery-Germantown) added 19.

Gallagher and junior guard Jonathan Motichka (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg) each added 14 points. Gallagher also handed out a game and career-high seven assists. Freshman forward Sidney McCray (Milton, FL/St. Paul’s School) had nine points and grabbed a team-high seven boards.

Shepherd (1-12, 1-7) shot 49.2 percent (37-65) from the floor, 37.5 percent (12-32) from three-point range, and 82.4 percent (14-17) from the free throw line. Pitt Johnstown (6-7, 2-6) shot 61.8 percent (34-55) from the floor, 50 percent (6-12) from beyond the arc, and 73.8 percent (18-23) from the charity stripe. The Mountain Cats outrebounded Shepherd, 33-26, while UPJ recorded 17 turnovers to Shepherd’s 13.

Pitt Johnstown had a 46-38 lead at halftime.

The Rams return to action on Thursday when they host Salem International for an 8 p.m. contest.

Box Score