Jan. 2, 2010

Box Score

EAST STROUDSBURG - Despite Sara Pratt's second double-double of the season and 15th of her career, the Clarion University women's basketball team saw its five-game win streak snapped by East Stroudsburg 66-64 Saturday afternoon at East Stroudsburg's Koehler Fieldhouse.

Pratt had season highs in points (19) and rebounds (11) while adding four steals for Clarion (7-3), but East Stroudsburg (2-8) got a game-high 24 points from DeAnna Rayam while using a game-ending 12-5 run to get the win.

Clarion, which led 17-5 early, held a 31-27 halftime lead before the game went back-and-forth in the second half with neither team holding more than a five-point lead in the half.

The Golden Eagled led 59-54 with 4:59 left before East Stroudsburg took its first lead since midway through the half with 2:03 to play on a Mel Villano layup that gave the Warriors a 63-62 advantage. Clarion went ahead for the final time on a Rachel Graeff jumper with 1:36 left. But the Warriors went ahead for good 10 seconds later when Cyara Woodridge hit two free throws to put ESU ahead 65-64.

Clarion had a chance to retake the lead with just under a minute to play, but a 3-pointer by Courtney Healy was off the mark. East Stroudsburg then got a key offensive rebound from Alexa Betzi off a missed jumper by Rayam with 21 seconds left, and Villano hit one of two free throws with 15 seconds to play to put the Warriors up 66-64.

Following a Clarion timeout, the Golden Eagles had trouble getting the ball inbounds, and the rock was eventually stolen by Woodridge with two seconds to play to seal the victory.

In addition to Pratt, three other Golden Eagles reached double digits including Lizzie Suwala with 16 points and five rebounds, Bethany Koch with 12 points and five rebounds and Graeff with 10 points and four assists.

Villano was the only other East Stroudsburg player in double figures with 12 points to go with four helpers.

Clarion returns to action at 1 p.m. Sunday at Kutztown.

NOTES - Pratt's double-double was the Golden Eagles ninth of the season. Clarion has had at least one player record a double-double in eight of its 10 games ... Last season Clarion had 21 double-doubles last year including nine from Pratt ... Clarion was looking for its first six-game win streak since winning 10 in a row from Jan. 8, 2005, through Feb. 5, 2005 ... The loss broke a four-game win streak at East Stroudsburg for Clarion which last lost at Koehler Fieldhouse Jan. 10, 1998 ... Clarion has lost three of four to the Warriors after winning six straight from the 2001-02 season through the 2005-06 campaign.