Jan. 11, 2009
Box Score
BLOOMSBURG - A pair of double-doubles and one of the top defensive performances in school history lifted the Clarion University women's basketball team to its second straight win 54-38 over Bloomsburg Sunday afternoon at Bloomsburg.
Bethany Koch had 11 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, six steals and five assists to record her second double-double of the season, Sara Pratt added 13 points, 10 rebounds and four steals and the 38 points allowed tied for the seventh fewest given up by the Golden Eagles (5-7) in the NCAA-Era (1981-82-present).
Katrina Greer, who had 12 points and six rebounds, also became the eighth player in school history with 1,200 career points. She has 1,204.
Kelsey Gallagher led Bloomsburg (8-5) with 14 points and six rebounds, while Colleen Kegerreis had seven points and eight boards.
The Golden Eagles used an 18-0 second-half run to break a 31-all tie and take control of the game.
Bloomsburg had forged the contest's fifth tie on a jumper by Kegerreis with 14:50 to play, but Greer's layup with 12:54 to play gave Clarion the lead for good at 33-31 and started the run. It was a well-balanced spurt by the Golden Eagles with four different players scoring led by five points by Shaina Smith and four each by Greer and Koch. Smith and Rachel Graeff each hit big 3-pointers during the stretch with Smith's giving Clarion a 38-31 lead and Graeff's putting the Golden Eagles ahead 47-31.
The 18-0 run was actually part of a bigger 25-2 stretch by the Golden Eagles, who trailed 29-24 three minutes into the second half.
The game was a see-saw battle for the first 37 minutes with the lead switching hands five times, including four in the first half, and the contest being tied five times. Bloomsburg led 22-21 at halftime thanks to Kelly Joyce's 3-pointer with four seconds left in the half. The Huskies then got the lead to as many as five, 29-24, in the second half before Clarion went on a 7-0 spurt to take a 31-29 lead on two Courtney Healy free throws with 15:02 to play.
Clarion outrebounded Bloomsburg 55-37 including 19-12 on the offensive boards helping the Golden Eagles outscore the Huskies 18-3 on second-chance points. The Golden Eagles also had 13 points off of turnovers to Bloomsburg's three, as Clarion forced 15 turnovers including 13 steals. Bloomsburg shot just 23 percent (14 of 61) for the game including hitting only 5 of 28 (17.9 percent) of its shots in the second half. That allowed Clarion to overcome a 31.1 percent (19-for-61) shooting day that was offset by the offensive rebounds.
The Golden Eagles return to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday when its hosts IUP in the PSAC-West opener for both teams.
NOTES - The 38 points were the fewest allowed since 2004 when Clarion beats Mansfield 86-38. The last time the Golden Eagles allowed fewer than 38 points was in 2003 when they beat LaRoche 102-36, and the last time Clarion allowed fewer than 38 points to an NCAA Division II opponent was in 1999 when it beat Columbia Union 105-35 in a game that saw Columbia Union finish with only four players on the court because of foul trouble ... The 38 points allowed also tie for the sixth fewest allowed under 20th year head coach Gie Parsons, and Clarion has allowed under 40 points 12 times in the NCAA-Era after doing it 19 times between 1973-74 and 1980-81. The fewest points ever allowed by the Golden Eagles was 21 in 1976 in a 69-21 win over Mercyhurst ... The win improves Clarion to 2-2 on the road this season ... Clarion has now won 3 of its past 5 games ... Greer is the third player reach 1,200 career points since 2004 joining Heather Cigich (1,832) and Jessica Albanese (1,244). Greer, who ranks eighth in school history in scoring, is just 15 points shy of tying Jeannine Tyler (1989-92; 1,219 points) for seventh and 40 points shy of Albanese (2005-08), who is sixth. She also needs 96 more points to become the sixth player in school history with 1,300.
