Box Score

CLARION – A game-closing 22-8 run in the final 6:32 helped the Clarion University men's basketball team erase a nine-point deficit and get an 85-80 win over visiting Pitt-Johnstown Wednesday night at Tippin Gym.

 

“Our games with Pitt-Johnstown always seem to come down to the last couple of minutes,” Clarion head coach Ron Righter said. “Tonight, we had a chance to make some plays down the stretch and we made them. That's a good team we beat. We have a lot of respect for them and their coaches.”

 

Lloyd Harrison's three-pointer from the top of the right circle with 1:50 to play gave the Golden Eagles (5-0) the lead for good at 77-74.

 

“He hit the biggest shot of the night,” Righter said of his senior point guard who had a game-high 23 points to go with eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals. “We've been telling him he needs to take the jump shot, and he did that tonight.”

 

Jamar Harrison, who was held to four points in the first half, caught fire in the second half scoring 17 to finish with 21 points. He had nine points during Clarion's game-ending run including the first five and then four straight following Lloyd Harrison's go-ahead three.

 

“He was playing against one his best friends (Danny Branch), and I think (Branch) was in Jamar's head in the first half,” Righter said. “I told him at halftime he needed to get him out of his head and dominate in the second half, and he did that.”

 

Paul McQueen, who recorded his second straight double-double and his third in as many home games with 19 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, was also key during the run scoring seven points including a three-pointer with 4:10 left that cut the UPJ (5-2) lead to 72-71 and a layup just under a minute later that gave Clarion a 73-72 lead, the Golden Eagles first lead since 50 seconds into the second half.

 

Pitt-Johnstown used the three ball in the first half to build an 11-point lead, 40-29, with just over five minutes to play in the half. Bill Luther's three at 5:15, the Mountain Cats sixth of the half, got the lead to 11.

 

But Clarion responded with a half-ending 13-6 run thanks to six points from Lloyd Harrison to cut the deficit to four, 46-42, at halftime.

 

The Golden Eagles then scored the first five points of the second half to go up 47-46 on a Jamar Harrison layup with 19:10 to play giving Clarion its first lead of the game.

 

Pitt-Johnstown, though, came right back with a 20-10 run to seemingly take control of the game back.

 

Bud Teer also had a double-double for Clarion with 10 points and 10 boards.

 

Patrick Grubbs led UPJ with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots, while Nick Novak scored 20 points, Jordan Miller 15 points on four three-pointers and Luther 14 points on four threes.

 

Pitt-Johnstown outshoot Clarion 58.2 percent (32 of 55) to 46.5 percent (33 of 71) but the Golden Eagles outrebounded the Mountain Cats 42-24 including 21-4 on the offensive boards. That led to Clarion outscoring UPJ 23-5 on second-chance points. The Golden Eagles also had a 20-17 edge on points off turnovers causing 16 giveaways thanks to eight steals while turning the ball over just 12 times. Ten of UPJ's 17 points off turnovers came in the first half.

 

Clarion returns to action at 3 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Penn College. It will be the 550^th game at Tippin Gym for the Golden Eagles men's basketball team.

 

NOTES – Clarion is 5-0 for the first time since starting 11-0 in 1991 … Clarion is 33-11 all-time vs. Pitt-Johnstown with the rivalry being much closer lately with UPJ holding a 10-9 lead in the last 19 meetings, although Clarion has won five straight at Tippin Gym … Righter is 141-36 in his career at home against non-conference opponents and has won 16 of the last 19 against non-PSAC-West foes.