Jan. 16, 2010
Final Stats
CLARION - Clarion battled nationally ranked Gannon hard before the No. 4 Lady Knights used a 13-4 run between the 10-minute mark and the 5-minute mark to claim a 77-54 win over the Golden Eagles in Clarion's PSAC-West home opener Saturday afternoon at Tippin Gym.
An old-school 3-point play by Janelle Zabresky had gotten Clarion (9-6 overall, 0-2 PSAC-West) to within eight, 52-44, with 9:59 left. But Gannon's Julie Kleber hit a 3-pointer 21 seconds later to start the Golden Knights (18-0, 2-0) run.
A fast-paced game throughout, Gannon took advantage of opportunities to build a 39-26 halftime lead. The Lady Knights outscored Clarion 14-2 off turnovers and 6-4 in second-chance points during the half on their way to outscoring the Golden Eagles 23-13 off turnovers and 12-9 on the second-chance points.
Bethany Koch paced Clarion with 19 points and five rebounds on 8 of 23 shooting, while Lizzie Suwala added 13 points and seven rebounds and Janelle Zabresky nine points and six rebounds.
Kristina Freeman led all scorers with 27 points for Gannon on 10 of 13 shooting including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. She added seven rebounds and five steals. Kim Vargas chipped in 15 points and five rebounds, Kleber 11 points and Brittany Tabron four points and 11 rebounds.
Clarion returns to action Wednesday when it travels to No. 19 California in a PSAC-West game. The contest can be heard on WCUC, 91.7 FM in Clarion and on the internet at www.redzonemedia.com, which can also be accessed through www.clariongoldeneagles.com. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
NOTES - Freshman Courtney Formica made her season debut and scored two points to go with two rebounds and an assist in 11 minutes ... Clarion was without starting forward Sara Pratt, who suffered an injury vs. IUP. Pratt is listed as day-to-day ... Koch's 23 attempted shots ties for the eighth most at Clarion since 1983. It marked the second time this year Koch has attempted 23 shots ... Formica is the first freshman to play for the Golden Eagles this year. Last year, Clarion had six freshmen see action ... Gannon now leads the all-time series between the teams 22-14 ... The loss was only Clarion's second at Tippin Gym this season and broke a three-game home win streak for the Golden Eagles ... Clarion has played a tough schedule with its 16 opponents sporting a combined record of 113-80 going into action Saturday.
