March 1, 2008
Box Score
SLIPPERY ROCK - Clarion University senior point guard Demetrius Graham scored the final five points of overtime helping the Golden Eagles break a tie game and get a 93-90 win at Slippery Rock in the PSAC-West finale for both teams Saturday afternoon.
Graham, who scored nine points while dishing out six assists and coming up with three steals, hit a jumper with 33 seconds left in overtime to break an 88-all tie. He then hit two free throws with 10 seconds left and one more with two seconds to play to seal the win.
Clarion (16-11 overall, 7-5 PSAC-West), which trailed by nine, 35-26, at halftime and by as many as 14, 50-36, early in the second half battled back to take a four-point lead, 76-72, with 20 seconds to play.
But Slippery Rock (7-20, 4-8), playing for its playoff life, got two 3-pointers from Matt Schaefer in the final 10 seconds including one at the buzzer to tie the game at 78 and force overtime.
Clarion led by as many as three early in overtime before Slippery Rock took a 1-point lead, 86-85, with 1:42 to play. The Golden Eagles went back up two on a Ron Hollis 3-pointer with 1:16 left before Slippery Rock forged one last tie on a Schaefer layup with 1:03 remaining.
Freshman Mike Sherry led Clarion with 19 points and four rebounds, while Ricky Henderson added 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Lamar Richburg added 14 points and Josh Yanke chipped in with 11. Hollis contributed nine tallies and Lonnell Jones eight.
Itay Levy led six Slippery Rock players in double figures with 19 points, Erroll Robinson had 15, Joseph Vines 14 and Schaeffer, Jamar Scales and Darnell Johnson 12 each.
Clarion returns to action Tuesday in the PSAC Playoffs when it visits California at 8 p.m.
NOTES - The 93 points are the most for Clarion vs. a PSAC-West opponent since beating IUP 100-83 in 2004 ... The seven PSAC-West wins are the most for the Golden Eagles since they won the division at 8-4 in 2005 ... Clarion is making its second straight PSAC playoff appearance and its 11th in 12 years. Last season, the Golden Eagles fell at Cal 67-62 in the opening round of the PSAC's ... The loss eliminated Slippery Rock from PSAC playoff contention ... The four PSAC playoff teams from the PSAC-West in seeding order at Edinboro, California, Clarion and IUP. They will be joined by four teams from the PSAC-East in the PSAC Tournament ... Sherry now has 324 points, the most by a freshman at Clarion since 1995 when Shawn Bellis scored 358 while being named PSAC-West Rookie of the Year ... Clarion is 2-0 in overtimes this year and has won three straight overtime contests and five of its last seven.
