Jan. 11, 2009

Box Score

BLOOMSBURG - A 9-0 second-half run erased a 1-point deficit and helped give the Clarion University men's basketball team an 80-71 win over homestanding Bloomsburg Sunday afternoon.

The Golden Eagles (9-3), winners of seven of eight, trailed 53-52 following an 8-0 Bloomsburg spurt midway through the second half but Mike Sherry scored seven straight points including a 3-pointer after Josh Yanke stated the 9-0 run with a basket to give Clarion a 61-53 lead with 9:12 left in the game.

Bloomsburg (3-10) didn't go away cutting the lead to two, 65-63, with 3:38 to play, and the Huskies still trailed by just three, 71-68, with 2:06 to play. But Clarion ended the game on a 9-3 run including a monster 3-pointer by Yanke with 45 seconds left that increased the Golden Eagle lead to 77-70.

Yanke led Clarion with his sixth double-double of the season (22 points, 10 rebounds), while Shameel Carty added 18 points and four rebounds and Sherry had 14 points and four steals.

Ruben Britt paced Bloomsburg with 12 points and six rebounds, Ronnie Benson had 11 points and Michael Varanavage and Jesse Betar each had 10 tallies.

Clarion used a 12-2 first-half run to take a 37-30 halftime lead before Bloomsburg rallied in the second half.

The Golden Eagles shot a blistering 55.6 percent from the floor (30 of 54) including 57.7 percent (15 of 26) in the second half. Clarion hit 7 of 16 3-pointers (43.8 percent) and 13 of 17 free-throws while outrebounding Bloomsburg 33-24.

Clarion returns to action at 8 p.m. Wednesday when it opens PSAC-West play by hosting IUP.

NOTES - The 9-3 start is ties for the second best this decade. The Golden Eagles also started 9-3 in 2005 and 2003. They started the 2004 season 10-2. Clarion has now started a season with at least nine wins in its first 12 games 11 times in head coach Ron Righter's 21 seasons at the school.