INDIANA, PA -  For the second straight game, Shaw University's men's basketball team fell behind early, made a strong comeback attempt in the second, but fell short as they lost, this time to Pittsburgh-Johnstown 83-74 in the second round of the Indiana Regional Medical Center Classic at the Kovalchick complex on the Indiana (PA) campus Sunday afternoon.

The win improves UPJ's record to 4-2.  Shaw falls to 1-5, losing their fifth straight.

Saturday, the Bears fell behind host IUP early, battled to within three in the second half, then watched the hosts pull away for a relatively easy win.

Today the script was the same, with Pitt-Johnstown opening up a sizable lead before the Bears even got on the scoreboard.  In the second, Shaw battled to within three points only to see the Mountain Cats pull away in the late minutes of the game for a relatively easy win.

Statistically, Shaw may have lost the game at the free throw line -- or UPJ won it there.  The Bears hit only 12 of 21, while the Cats hit 21 of 23.  From the floor, both teams shot over 50 percent, with Shaw hitting 28 of 55 for 50.9 percent.  UPJ hit 27 of their 47 attempts -- 57.4 percent.

The Bears got off to a bad start, allowing Pitt-Johnstown to score eight straight before Koron Reed hit a layup to get Shaw on the scoreboard.

Shaw kept the UPJ lead to around six, trailing 15-9 after Carlton Johnson hit a jumper.  The Cats responded with a 14-2 scoring run, breaking open the game and taking a 29-11 lead on Andrew Cressler's three point shot.

The Bears trailed 40-20 when they reeled off an eight-point run.  Johnson's jumper off a Curtis Hines pass trimmed the Mountain Cat lead to 40-28.

UPJ closed out the half on a 7-4 run, taking a 47-32 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Mountain Cats maintained that lead for much of the early portion of the second half.  Down 60-46, the Bears ran off five straight points, cutting the lead inside double digits when Larry Richardson hit a layup to cut the UPJ lead to 60-51 with 11:29 left in the game.

Paul Weatherly tipped in a missed shot to extend the Pitt-Johnstown lead back to 11 at 62-51, but the Bears scored the next six points, including four from Hines, to trim the lead to only five.  Johnson's layup with 8:04 left cut the lead to only three, 62-59.

Ninety seconds later, Hines hit a bucket, was fouled and converted the free throw, making the score 68-64 in favor of the Mountain Cats.

UPJ then went on a scoring tear, outscoring the Bears 10-1 over the next three and a half minutes, building a 78-65 lead. 

Shaw would pull within nine again, but never get closer.  With two seconds left in the contest, Reed slammed home a dunk to close out the scoring, with UPJ winning 83-74.

Hines led all scorers with 24 points, while three other Bears also hit double digits on the afternoon.  Reed had 13 points, Richardson 12 and Bilal Kelly 10.  Reed had six rebounds to lead the Bears while Johnson had five assists to pace the squad.

Bill Luther led the Mountain Cats with 22 points.  Ian Vescovi added another 21.  The two also led UPJ with five rebounds apiece.  Nate Snodgrass had six assists to lead the Mountain Cats.

Shaw now takes an 11-day break before hitting the road for a game at GRU Augusta in a 7:30 p.m. tip.  The Bears do not return home until next year, when they open up CIAA play by hosting Elizabeth City State on January 2.