Feb. 3, 2010
Box Score
LOCK HAVEN - Lizzie Suwala tied her career highs in points with 28 and rebounds with 15 to lift Clarion to an 87-70 win at Lock Haven in PSAC-West women's basketball action Wednesday night at Thomas Field House.
It was the second straight 28-point game for Suwala, as she became the first Golden Eagle women's basketball player to score 25 or more points in two consecutive games in six years - Heather Cigich Feb. 25-28, 2004.
Clarion (11-9 overall, 2-5 PSAC-West) used runs of 25-3 and 10-1 in the first half to build a 42-16 halftime lead and then got that advantage up to 32 a couple of times in the second half before withstanding a late Lock Haven run to get the victory.
Thanks to nine points and four assists from Suwala, Clarion used the 25-3 run in the first half to take a 30-10 lead with 8:35 left in the first half. The Golden Eagles then outscored the Lady Eagles (5-13, 0-7) 10-1 in the final six-plus minutes to take the 26-point halftime lead, its biggest lead at the break since leading Slippery Rock 46-19 Jan. 26, 2005.
Clarion then got the lead up to 65-33 with 13:11 to play on a Rachel Graeff layup before Lock Haven tried to claw its way back into the game going on a 25-7 run over the next eight minutes to close to within 14, 72-58, on a free throw by Peaches Nesmith. But Nesmith missed the back end of a two-shot foul, and Suwala hit a 3-pointer at the other end to start an 11-5 run that got the lead back to 20 points.
Suwala added four assists, two blocks and one steal while going 9 of 14 from the field including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, one shy of her season high for 3-pointers. Sara Pratt, back after missing the last three games with an injury, added 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 32 minutes of action. Graeff also scored 13 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bethany Koch and Rachel Skolny each chipped in 10 points with Koch adding six rebounds, two assists and four steals giving the Golden Eagles five players in double figures for the first time this season.
Heather McHugh led Lock Haven with 20 points, while Nesmith added 11 points. Casi Donelan chipped in nine points, five rebounds and five assists with Marisa Elliot adding nine points.
Clarion returns to action at 6 p.m. Saturday when it hosts IUP. That game will be a "White Out Tippin" event with all fans asked to wear something white and help the Golden Eagles pack the gym against the PSAC-rival Crimson Hawks.
NOTES - Clarion climbed back within two games of fourth place in the PSAC-West halfway through the PSAC-West slate ... The Golden Eagles outscored Lock Haven 20-7 in second-chance points after being outscored 83-57 on second-chance points in their first six PSAC-West contests ... Lock Haven shot just 15.4 percent (6 of 39) in the first half but rebounded to hit 17 of 32 (53.1 percent) in the second half to finish the game at 32.4 percent (23 of 71) ... Clarion shot 29 of 67 for the contest (43.3 percent) and outrebounded Lock Haven 53-46 ... Suwala has now scored in double figures in 16 straight games, the longest in-season double-digit streak by a Golden Eagle since Heather Cigich did it in 26 straight in 2004. It is the longest double-digit streak of any kind since Katrina Greer did it in 22 straight games between 2007 and 2008 ... The win was Clarion's fifth straight over Lock Haven and the Golden Eagles have won 17 of the last 19 against the Lady Eagles.
