March 5, 2010

Box Score

KUTZTOWN - A gallant Clarion University comeback attempt in the PSAC men's basketball semifinals came up just short in an 85-79 loss to Kutztown Friday night at East Stroudsburg's Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Golden Eagles (18-11) trailed by as many as 17 in the second half but got back to within one, the latest with 3:22 to play on a Lloyd Harrison basket. But Clarion could never quite get over the hump.

Clarion was down two with 36.7 seconds left after Shameel Carty hit one of two free throws. But Kutztown (23-6) was able to hit 6 of 6 free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the win.

Trailing 47-30 with 19:37 left, Clarion used a 19-7 run to get right back into the game and trailed by five, 54-49, following an old-school Jamar Harrison 3-point play with 12:42 left.

The Golden Eagles then cut the lead even farther with a 10-4 run that ended on a Paul McQueen basket with 8:19 to play that cut Kutztown's lead to 64-63.

The first half belonged to Kutztown, as the Golden Bears shot 52.8 percent from the field while taking the 45-30 halftime lead. Clarion shot just 29.7 percent (11 of 37) in the opening 20 minutes but rebounded by shooting 69 percent (20 of 29) in the second half to finish the game 31 of 66 (47 percent).

Shameel Carty led Clarion with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Jamar Harrison had 16 points, four assists, three steals and three rebounds. Denzil Dennison added a season highs in points (14) and assists (5) to go with five rebounds. Lloyd Harrison chipped in 12 points, six assists, four steals and five rebounds, and McQueen had 12 points and four rebounds.

Julius Gray led Kutztown with 22 points, Stephen Dennis added 19 points and eight rebounds with Ryan Washington chipping in 10 points and 13 rebounds and Jon DeShields 13 points.

Kutztown, who advanced to the PSAC Title game for the second straight season, will face the winner of Friday's late game between IUP and East Stroudsburg at 7 p.m. Saturday at East Stroudsburg.

NOTES - Clarion's 18 wins are the most for the Golden Eagles since going 19-9 in 2005 ... Clarion has only one senior, Greg Parker ... The Golden Eagles were playing in their first PSAC Semifinal contest since 2003 and were looking for their first title game appearance since winning the school's only PSAC Championship in 2001 ... This is the 50th anniversary of the PSAC Championship game.