JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A quick start for the East Stroudsburg University women's basketball team wouldn't be enough as the Warriors fell short against Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday in a PSAC crossover matchup, 59-53.
 
ESU (2-2, 0-1 PSAC East) led by as many as eight points in the first quarter but would see the Mountain Cats rally to take a 14-11 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action.
 
The Warriors were paced in the contest by senior Tiffany Lapotsky, who finished with 12 points and five assists. Junior Kaitlyn Swint recorded a double-double for ESU as she delivered 11 points and 10 rebounds. She added a game-high four steals, while junior Marlene Bassett tallied eight points for ESU.
 
ESU would open the contest by scoring nine of the first 10 points on the floor as Swint tallied six of those points for the Warriors. Pitt-Johnstown would trim the deficit to 9-6 with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter following a 3-pointer from Makalyn Clapper.
 
A layup from Swint with 3:45 left to play made it 11-6 in favor of ESU. The Mountain Cats closed the opening quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 14-11 edge into the second quarter.
 
Pitt-Johnstown controlled the pace of play in the second quarter as the lead stretched to eight with 5:39 left to play. Mia Oterson scored the final points of the opening half as her layup gave the Mountain Cats a 27-17 lead with 1:27 left on the clock.
 
The deficit for the Warriors would reach 16 with 6:39 left to play in the third quarter as ESU looked to hop on the comeback trail. Redshirt sophomore Julia Kutz helped to trim the deficit to 38-26 thanks to an old-fashioned 3-point play.
 
Redshirt junior Sadie Cresswell drained a trey for the Warriors with less than a minute left to play in the third quarter as the Mountain Cats advantage would be trimmed to 40-34. Pitt-Johnstown scored the final two points of the quarter to take a 42-34 advantage into the final 10 minutes of action.
 
Redshirt freshman Cassie Ksiazek cut the deficit to four early in the fourth quarter after converting a pair of free-throw opportunities. The Pitt-Johnstown offense would take over once again as the Mountain Cats went up 55-42 with 3:55 left to play.
 
The Warriors rallied to cut the gap to a single possession as Bassett finished a layup in the paint with 56 seconds left on the clock to make it 56-53. That would be as close as ESU would get to the Mountain Cats as Pitt-Johnstown added three points at the charity stripe to close the contest and secure the 59-53 victory.
 
ESU travels to Indiana, Pennsylvania on Sunday for a 1:05 p.m. matchup against the 16th-ranked Crimson Hawks. The game will be featured on Facebook Live and Twitter as part of the NCAA DII National Basketball Showcase. The ESU men's basketball game against IUP at 3:05 p.m. will also be streamed live on the NCAA DII platforms.