LINCOLN, Pa. – The Clarion women’s basketball team opened up their 2019-20 season on Friday, falling in a 63-51 decision to Saint Augustine’s on the first day of the CIAA/PSAC Challenge.

(Photo courtesy of Clarion University Athletics)

The Golden Eagles (0-1) will close their weekend tomorrow when they face off with the hosting Lions.

It was a physical contest between the Falcons and the Golden Eagles, with Clarion unable to take advantage of 33 personal fouls committed by Saint Augustine’s. Neither team shot particularly well from the floor, with the Golden Eagles going 17-of-56 (.304) and the Falcons just 26-of-72 (.361). Both teams struggled with turnovers, with Clarion committing 31 and Saint Augustine’s 26 over the course of 40 minutes.

The two top scorers for Clarion on Friday were two of the newest additions to the team, with Ke’Airah Massiah scoring 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting while Celeste Ryman added 11 points of her own. Another newcomer to the team, Jada Smith, recorded a game-high 14 rebounds, seven more than any of the next-closest competitors. Three Falcons broke double-digits in scoring, led by 14 points from Quiera Gilmore.

The game was tightest through the first three quarters, with Saint Augustine’s leading 15-11 after the first 10 minutes. Clarion cut that lead to 34-31 at the halftime break and pulled to within one point after three, making it 42-41 by outscoring the Falcons 10-8 that period. Saint Augustine’s pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles 21-10 in the last period to secure the win.