CUP Hoops Teams Fall on Road at Seton Hill

| February 2, 2017

Jordan Bekelja Clarion
GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Clarion women’s basketball team controlled the action for 20 minutes of play but couldn’t seal the deal on the road, as the Golden Eagles fell 68-56 to the Seton Hill Griffins on Wednesday.

Clarion (13-9, 10-6 PSAC) will take on Mercyhurst on the road on Saturday.

The Golden Eagles built up a solid halftime lead on Seton Hill and led by as many as nine points in the third quarter, but the Griffins carried the action in the second half to come back and take the win. The biggest difference in the game was simply that the Griffins heated up significantly in the second half, shooting 53.3 percent in the final 20 minutes, while Clarion shot just 34.6 percent themselves.

Jordan Bekelja led the way for Clarion with 15 points and six rebounds in 36 minutes of action, while also recorded two steals and two blocked shots against the Griffins. Only Amesha Harden-Pullium joined her in double figures in scoring, notching 11 points. Maniah Robinson pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Clarion took the lead early in the second quarter, with Tracy Wiehe scoring off a feed from Robinson to put her team ahead 20-19. Tyra Polite made it a three-point edge on the very next possession, driving and scoring in the paint to make it 22-19 with 7:47 remaining in the half. Wiehe knocked down a midrange jumper to give Clarion a 31-24 lead at the 2:08 mark, their largest lead of the half, and Bekelja made it 32-26 entering the locker room with a free throw.

Bekelja started off the third quarter with a bang, draining a three-pointer just 32 seconds into the half to make it 35-26. The lead remained at nine points after a make from Tyra Polite, but from there the Griffins took control. Seton Hill drove the lead down to one point with 4:41 left in the third on a layup by Jenna Kaufman, and they took the lead for good on a make by Halie Torris.

Seton Hill built up a double-digit lead by the end of the third quarter and led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter, going ahead 64-48 on a layup by Jenna Kaufman. Bekelja cut the lead down to 68-56 with a pair of free throws.

MEN LOSE ANOTHER CLOSE ONE

SETON HILL, Pa., – The Clarion University men’s basketball team lost on the road to Seton Hill Wednesday night by a final score of 79-76. The loss moves the Golden Eagles to 5-16 (3-13 PSAC) on the season.

It marked the sixth loss by six points or less for Clarion, which is 1-6 in such games, and was also the sixth loss by six or less during the Golden Eagles current 12-game losing streak. The Blue and Gold will return to action Saturday when they head to Erie to take on Slippery Rock.

Cameron Grumley led the Golden Eagles offensively, finishing with a team-high 25 points, as well as a team-high 11 rebounds. Manny Powell finished with a team-high seven assists, while Jamani Pierce turned in a 20 point, nine rebound effort on the evening.

The Griffins and Eagles traded chances and went back and forth in the first half as CU managed to keep Seton Hill within arms reach. Trading jumpers for fast-break offense, some big layups from Cam Grumley and Pierce helped Clarion tie the game up at 14 before Manny Powell sunk a deep two that gave the Blue and Gold their first lead of the game at the six-minute mark.

The lead would change several more times before the end of the first half, however, it was Seton Hill who had the advantage after 20, 51-44.

Clarion shot out of the gate quickly in the second, with Pierce, Powell, and Justin Grant knocking down back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to start CU off on a 9-0 run. And again, much like the first half, Clarion would re-take the lead midway through the half after Grumley knocked down a pair of free-throws to knot the game at 60. It would prove to be a bar Clarion could not clear, however.

Seton Hill retook their lead courtesy of a Brandon Alston layup, and while Clarion would pull to within one, the Griffins managed to hang on and secure the W. Grumley knocked down a jumper with 11 seconds remaining to again put CU within one, however, in the end BJ Andrews’ buzzer-beater attempt fell short.


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