ERIE, Pa. — Clarion senior Cameron Grumley scored a career-high 30 points, but the Golden Eagles fell short at Mercyhurst, 91-62, Monday evening.
(Photo of Cameron Grumley. Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)
Clarion drops to 3-12 and 0-9 in the PSAC while Mercyhurst improves to 6-6, 3-6 PSAC.
Grumley had a big first half to keep the Golden Eagles within striking distance. Trailing 38-27 late in the first half, Grumley went on a 7-0 run by himself to close the gap then scored the first bucket in the second half to get Clarion within 2 points at 38-36.
However, the Lakers would retaliate with a 14-2 run to stretch their lead to double-digits, and they never looked back on their way to a 29-point victory. Grumley’s 30 points were a game-high, while teammates Brandon Williams and Mason Mraz each chipped in 11 points for Clarion.
For the second straight game, Clarion played with a short bench, and their struggles would come once again in the second half. After shooting over 48% from the floor in the first half, the Golden Eagles were just 7 of 21 from the floor in the second half, including 1 of 7 from three-point range.
Mercyhurst, who used 13 different players on the night, shot 22 of 32 (69%) in the second half and finished the game with a 44-19 edge in rebounds.
Clarion won’t have much time to regroup as they return home this Wednesday, Jan 10, for a PSAC contest against Slippery Rock. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
LAKER TOP GOLDEN EAGLE WOMEN
ERIE, Pa. – Amesha Harden-Pullium set a career-high in scoring for the second straight game, but the Clarion women’s basketball team dropped a 79-62 road decision at Mercyhurst on Monday. The Golden Eagles (7-8, 2-7 PSAC) will have a quick turnaround, as they’ll host Slippery Rock at Tippin Gymnasium on Wednesday.
Harden-Pullium shot 8-of-18 from the field for 26 points, knocking down 4-of-10 shots from the three-point line, and also pulled down five rebounds. Tracy Wieheadded 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Jordan Bekelja added six points and five assists.
Mercyhurst won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding Clarion by a 46-28 margin. That led in part to an advantage in points in the paint, where the Lakers held a 44-18 advantage. Clarion shot the ball from the three-point line well in the first half, firing away at a 46.2 percent clip, but things slowed down in the second half.
Clarion responded to a sluggish first quarter with an exceptional second, outscoring the Lakers 18-10 in the second period to pull within three points at the halftime break. The Golden Eagles trailed by 11 points after the first quarter but Harden-Pullium cut that deficit to single digits with a layup 30 seconds into the quarter. The deficit was still 10 points with 3:05 to go, but Bekelja cut it to 33-27 with a three-pointer at the two-minute mark. She added another trey with 53 seconds to go in the half, pulling the Golden Eagles to within 33-30 entering the locker room.
The Golden Eagles rallied further in the third quarter, eventually tying the game at 40 with 4:21 left in the period after a three-pointer from Harden-Pullium. The Lakers exploded for a 12-0 run, though, and eventually went into the fourth quarter with a 54-41 lead. The lead expanded from there, and ultimately Mercyhurst claimed the 79-62 advantage.
