FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Clarion women’s basketball team earned its first win of the season on Saturday, defeating Concord by a score of 87-56 as part of the MEC/PSAC Challenge at Joe Retton Arena.
(Photo of Venango Catholic graduate Taylor Moltz, who had 12 points in Clarion’s win Saturday. Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)
The Golden Eagles (1-1) will return home to host Ursuline on Wednesday evening at Tippin Gymnasium.
Four Golden Eagles finished the game scoring in double-digits, with Tyra Polite scoring a team-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Amesha Harden-Pulliam and Quorea Pearyer each finished with 14 points while Taylor Moltz scored 12 on the night. Moltz’s output came from three-point range, with the sophomore shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against the Mountain Lions.
Clarion was strong from three-point range for the second straight night, going 12-of-28 (.429) from the long line and shooting 52.9 percent overall from the field. The Golden Eagle bench totaled 43 points, led by Pearyer and Moltz, compared to just 22 bench points for Concord.
Things were close in the first quarter, with Clarion holding just a 15-11 edge after 10 minutes of action, but things opened up in the second as the Golden Eagles took control. Harden-Pulliam scored on the fast break to open the second quarter, with Pearyer stripping the ball from Taylor Baltimore and advancing it ahead for the layup. Moltz drained back-to-back three-pointers to give Clarion their first double-digit lead of the night, making it 23-12 with 7:22 left in regulation, and later made it a 14-point edge with another triple. Tracy Wiehe bumped the second quarter lead to 15 points with a midrange J, and Maniah Robinson came off the bench to score on a late layup and make it 43-26 at the break.
The advantage reached 20+ points for the first time early in the third quarter on a trey by Harden-Pulliam and the rout continued. Sophomore Jordan Bekelja gave Clarion their biggest lead of the third quarter with a three-pointer at the 1:48 mark, making it 63-36. The biggest Clarion lead of the night came in the fourth quarter, when Robinson scored in the paint to make it 87-54.
GRUMLEY SCORES 14 BUT MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS TO 0-2
FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Clarion men’s basketball team fell on the road to West Virginia Wesleyan by a final score of 68-45 Saturday night. The Golden Eagles fall to 0-2 on the season.
Cameron Grumley set the tone for the Eagles on offense, leading the Blue and Gold with 14 points, shooting 6-11 from the floor while Jamani Pierce did the heavy lifting in the paint, picking up ten rebounds while adding ten points for his first double-double of the season.
Things were neck and neck after one half, with Clarion trailing by just a point 29-28 after twenty minutes of play. Threes by Manny Powell and Grumely kept Wesleyan honest all throughout the first half, however, the Bobcats were able to slowly grind out a second-half victory after out-scoring the Eagles 39-17 throughout the game’s final frame.
The Golden Eagles return to action Wednesday when they play host to Penn State Beaver at Tippin Gymnasium.
VOLLEYBALL NO MATCH FOR CAL
CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Clarion volleyball team saw its season end on the road on Saturday, with the Golden Eagles falling 3-0 (20-25, 20-25, 20-25) to the California (Pa.) Vulcans. Clarion (16-13, 10-8 PSAC) was knocked out of contention for the PSAC Tournament as a result.
Taylor Braunagel recorded a team-high 16 kills on 48 swings with just four errors for a .250 hitting percentage. No other Golden Eagle was in double-digits in kills, though Marissa Robertson came closest with seven kills to go with her team-high 13 digs. Catherine Ferragonio also reached 13 digs on the night, while Braunagel added 12 for a double-double and Leah Vensel had 11 digs.
The Golden Eagles had a tough night offensively, hitting .097 while California hit .264 overall. The Vulcans had the advantage with 9.0 team blocks and out-dug the Golden Eagles 78-69.
Clarion trailed by just three points late in the first set, with Braunagel cutting the Vulcans’ lead to just 20-17 with a kill and slicing it to 21-18 just a few points later. California re-took control and, even though Robertson stopped the bleeding with a kill, the Vulcans won the set 25-20 on a kill by Tina Bellhy.
The second set was also close, with Clarion owning a 10-7 advantage at one point on a kill by freshman Julia Holden. The Vulcans responded with a 5-0 run, but the Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 12-11 with a kill by Braunagel. The biggest California lead was five points, but Robertson pulled the Golden Eagles to within two points by recording a kill to make it 19-17. Lauryn Driscoll made it 24-20 with a kill, but Bellhy struck again on set point to make it 2-0.
Clarion led only very briefly in the third set, with Olivia Olson bouncing a kill to make it 5-4 early on. California closed out from there, though, taking the lead and never again relinquishing it.
MEN’S SWIMMING CAN’T HANDLE BLOOMSBURG
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Clarion University men’s swimming and diving team fell 120-81 against Bloomsburg University Saturday night. The loss moves the Blue and Gold to 3-2 on the season.
Nathan Porter and Ben Spencer led the way for the Blue and Gold, with Porter recording a pair of first-place finishes in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle, as well as first place as a member of the 200 yard freestyle relay team. Spencer won the 100 meter backstroke with a final time of 52.88.
The diving team did not compete for the Blue and Gold Saturday afternoon. The Golden Eagles will return to action December 2nd when they head to Akron for the Zippy Invitational.
BLOOMSBURG KNOCKS OFF WOMEN’S SWIMMING
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Clarion women’s swimming and diving team fell by a final score of 129-76 Saturday night against the Huskies. The loss moves the Blue and Gold to 2-3 on the season.
Summer Dacheux had the lone individual first-place finish on the evening for the Eagles, taking the top spot in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:00.87. She was also a member of the 200 yard freestyle relay team that took first, with Dacheux swimming on the top unit. Clarion ended up sweeping the event 1-2-3.
The diving unit did not compete for the Blue and Gold Saturday. The team will return to action December 2nd as they travel to Akron, Ohio for the Zippy Invitational.
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