Clarion U. Men’s Hoops Wins Shootout with Penn State Greater Allegheny; Women Win Too

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published November 16, 2017 5:16 am
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CLARION, Pa. — Playing on its home court for the first time this season, the Clarion men’s basketball team delivered a 109-93 victory over visiting Penn State Greater Allegheny Wednesday night.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion U. Athletics)

The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early nine-point lead at 18-9 but the Nittany Lions used a 10-0 run to take the lead at 19-18. Kuante Sargent paced the Clarion offense in the first half, scoring 15 of his team-high 27 points to stake the Golden Eagles to a 55-42 halftime lead.

Clarion shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, getting up and down the floor quickly, helping them withstand the hot shooting hand of Greater Allegheny’s Jordan Payne. Payne knocked down five attempts from beyond the arc, pumping in 19 of his game-high 30 points in the first half.

A 10-2 run to start the second half helped Clarion extend their lead to 18 points less than 2 minutes into play.

Greater Allegheny would cut the lead to five points at 83-77 with just over seven minutes left in the game, but that would be as close as the Lions got in the contest.

For the game, Clarion shot 51.8 percent from the floor, converting 43 of 83 attempts, including 17 of 19 from the free throw line.

Sargent led the Golden Eagles with 27 points, while Maqi Watson finished the night with 21 points to go along with six rebounds and three blocks.

Cameron Grumley nearly had a triple-double, netting nine points and nine assists along with 10 boards.

Clarion really spread the scoring around, as Khari Williams and Mason Mraz each added 14 points while RJ Laugand chipped in 13 points. Zavyer Craft rounded out an impressive list of six Golden Eagles with double-digit points, as he added 10 on the night.

Clarion will get ready for a double-header weekend at home, as they host East Stroudsburg on Saturday (Nov. 18) and West Chester on Sunday (Nov 19). Both games are set for a 3 p.m. tip.

GOLDEN EAGLE WOMEN RALLY FOR WIN

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Clarion women’s basketball team rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Wilmington on Wednesday, as the Golden Eagles downed the Wildcats 74-69 at the WU Athletics Complex. Clarion (2-1) will open PSAC play this weekend with doubleheaders against East Stroudsburg and West Chester.

Two Clarion players went off for double-doubles, with Jordan Bekelja leading the Golden Eagles with 20 points and 11 assists. The junior guard also added five steals and five rebounds. Tracy Wiehe had her second double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Amesha Harden-Pullium contributed 14 points in a team-high 39 minutes of action, while Taylor Moltz came off the bench for 16 points.

The Golden Eagles shot just 32.4 percent from the field in the first half as the Wildcats took a 39-29 advantage, but it was all Clarion in the third quarter. Clarion outscored Wilmington 45-30 in the second half, including a 21-9 edge in the third quarter and a three-point advantage in the final 10 minutes of action.

The Wildcats briefly held the lead in the fourth quarter, taking a 55-52 advantage on a three-pointer by Lashyra Williams. Moltz countered with a trey of her own, scoring off a steal and an assist by Bekelja to knot it up at 55. Bekelja tacked on her own transition bucket to put her team ahead 57-55, and Moltz capped the 7-0 run with a make in the paint at 59-55.

It would not be the only long run for the Golden Eagles in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats pulled to within 59-57 before a 9-2 run by Clarion sealed their fate, with Wiehe capping the run with a layup. Harden-Pullium kept it a nine-point advantage with a bucket to up the lead to 70-61, and the Golden Eagles held off a last gasp from Wilmington for the win.

Clarion had a lot of ground to make up in the third quarter to get them to that point, though. Bekelja cut Wilmington’s lead to seven points with a three-pointer early in the period, and Wiehe scored in the paint to cut it to 39-34. Harden-Pullium knocked down a three-pointer at the 2:39 mark of the third quarter to put her team up 45-44, and Wiehe tacked on another bucket with a minute to play in the third to set the score at 50-48 after 30 minutes of action.

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