CLARION – The Clarion University women's basketball team overcame a nine-point second-half deficit, including a five-point hole with 1:53 to play, to beat East Stroudsburg 74-70 in overtime in the season opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Clarion' Tippin Gym.

 

The game was tied at 63 at the end of regulation before Clarion (1-0) started overtime on a 6-0 run and  Jennifer Linkchorst sealed the win with a pair of free throws with eight seconds left. Linkchorst and fellow freshman Ann Deibert each scored four points in overtime helping Clarion outscore the Warriors 11-7 in the extra period.

 

Freshman Emma Fickel led Clarion with 22 points, including a key game-tying 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in regulation while adding three steals and three rebounds. She hit four 3-pointers in the game. Another freshman, Mackenzie Clark, added 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting, while coming up with five steals, two rebounds and two assists. Junior Courtney Healy, the lone returning starter for Clarion, added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while also blocking two shots and picking up two steals, while Deibert chipped in six points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal. Linkchorst had eight points, three assists and three rebounds off the bench.

 

Brittany McClain tied for game-high scoring honors for East Stroudsburg with 22 points while adding 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Bard Borst was the only other Warrior in double digits with 21 points while adding six rebounds. Jennifer Scherer chipped in eight points and nine rebounds, and Andrea Veres eight points and seven boards.

 

The Golden Eagles trailed by nine, 44-35, with 14:12 left in regulation before going on a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 50-48 lead. It was a very balanced run with seven different Clarion players scoring during it led by a 3-point from Healy.

 

East Stroudsburg rebounded to take a 63-58 lead with 1:53 left.

 

But two Healy free throws with 1:07 left brought Clarion back within three points, and then Fickel, came of a screen and drained the game-tying 3-pointer from beyond the men's 3-point line near the top of the circle.

 

Each team had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Clarion turned the ball over with eight seconds to play and East Stroudsburg missed a shot near the regulation horn.

 

Clarion controlled played throughout most of the first half and led by 11, 24-13, with 4:40 left in the half before East Stroudsburg went on an 18-5 run over the next 4:32 to take its first lead since early in the half on a McClain 3-pointer with eight seconds left in the half.

 

The Golden Eagles, though, tied the game on two Clark free throws with three seconds left in the half.

 

Clarion returns to action at 5:30 p.m. Friday at West Virginia Wesleyan.

 

NOTES – It was Clarion's first overtime game since an 83-80 win over West Chester Jan. 11, 2009, at West Chester. It was the Golden Eagles first home overtime game since a 64-59 loss to California Feb. 18, 2006, and Clarion's first overtime home win since beating Felician Nov. 30, 2002 … Clarion is 6-5 in 11 overtime games since the start of the 1999 season including 3-2 at Tippin Gym … The Golden Eagles improved to 25-12 in home openers since 1975 including 20-2 under 22^nd year head coach Gie Parsons. Clarion is also 27-11 in season openers in school history including 19-3 under Parsons.