Clarion U. Women Win Fourth Straight

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CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion women’s basketball team ran their win streak to four games with a complete effort on Wednesday night, defeating the Malone Pioneers 76-58 at Tippin Gymnasium.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles (6-4) will close their five-game homestand on Saturday when they host Bloomsburg.

The four-game heater for the Golden Eagles is their longest since winning five straight during the 2007-08 season. They’ve won those games by an average of 34.8 points, including a 21.3 point margin in their last three Division II games.

The Golden Eagles started out slowly offensively but caught fire in the second half, shooting 57.1 percent from the field in the second half as they pulled away from the Pioneers. Clarion outscored Malone in each of the last three quarters to take the win and outrebounded them 45-35 to limit the Pioneers’ chances to come back.

Quorea Pearyer scored a game-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting while also recording eight rebounds. Jen Straw came just one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards, and Jordan Bekelja filled the stat sheet with 10 points, six rebounds and six assists. Tyra Polite recorded 14 points and seven rebounds.

Neither team shot well in the first quarter and the two squads were tied at 14 after 10 minutes of action. Clarion took a four-point lead early in the second quarter but Malone’s Chrissie Vaughan made it 21-20 with 5:32 left in the half. Polite pulled Clarion ahead for good on the next possession, though, hitting a midrange jumper to take a 22-21 advantage. Ashley Deleonibus knocked down a jumper from the head of the key to make it 24-21, and Pearyer put the Golden Eagles ahead by 10 points at halftime with a late three-pointer.

The Golden Eagles’ lead briefly dipped into the single digits but Polite pushed it right back up with a three-pointer at the 6:31 mark of the third quarter, making it 39-28. Pearyer took a feed from Amesha Harden-Pullium and drilled a three-pointer to up the lead to 15 points with 4:48 left in the quarter, and later scored on a fast break with three seconds left in the period to make it 54-39 entering the fourth quarter.

The hits kept coming in the fourth quarter, with Polite scoring in transition to make it 60-41 with 6:59 left to play. Straw made it a 20-point advantage with a make on the baseline, and Bekelja produced the high water mark of the game , scoring a layup with 2:17 left to make it 73-51.


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