CLARION, Pa. — The Clarion University men’s basketball team held on for a win in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon at Tippin Gymnasium, erasing a 16-point halftime deficit to come back and secure an 87-75 victory.

The win moves the Golden Eagles to 4-4 on the season, including 2-2 in the PSAC.

Guard Cameron Grumely turned in perhaps his best performance in an Eagles uniform, going off for a team-high 27 points as well as six rebounds and three blocks. Akeem Williams did the bulk of the heavy lifting in the paint, turning in a team-high 13 boards while Manny Powell added 13 points and six assists.

It took a while for the Blue and Gold’s offense to get going, shooting just 36.7% from the field in the first half, including just 1-7 (14.3%) from beyond the three-point arc. Although Clarion managed to out-rebound Lock Haven, the Bald Eagles’ Amir Hinton went off for 23 points, going 10-14 in the opening 20 minutes.

Clarion found their footing and took off in the second half, however. Down 48-32 after 20, the Blue and Gold shot their way back into the game, finally taking a 61-60 lead on a huge three from Grumley. The Blue and Gold would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game, as Grumely and Jamani Pierce would go on to hit back-to-back three-pointers with a little over five minutes remaining to give the Eagles some much-needed breathing room. Clarion’s 21 bench points and 27 points off of free-throws proved to be the difference in this one.

Clarion returns to action on Saturday when they host Bloomsburg at Tippin Gymnasium.