Box Score

SLIPPERY ROCK – Freshman point guard Raven Jones scored 20 of her career-high 22 points in the second half helping the Clarion University women's basketball team start PSAC-West play with a 61-48 win at Slippery Rock Wednesday night.

 

Clarion (4-9 overall, 1-0 PSAC-West) led 20-19 at halftime and then outscored Slippery Rock (2-11, 0-1) 41-29 in the second half including a game-deciding 17-5 run after the contest was tied at 41 with 9:08 to play.

 

Jones scored nine of her points during the decisive run including a huge three-pointer with 3:41 left that took a six-point lead, 50-44, and turned it into a nine-point advantage, 53-44. Just under a minute later, Mackenzie Clark's three-pointer pretty much broke Slippery Rock's back and gave Clarion a 56-46 lead, its first double-digit advantage of the contest.

 

Clarion was able to overcome a slow start, the Golden Eagles missed their first 12 shots and didn't score a basket until the 11:20-mark of the first half, to lead 20-19 at halftime thanks in large part to the play of freshman forward Lauren Savulchak off the bench.

 

Savulchak scored Clarion's first four field goals of the game and had 10 points, six rebounds and four steals in the opening half. She finished the game with her first career double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and added the four swipes.

 

The fourth Savulchak basket with 5:18 left started a half-ending 11-4 run that gave Clarion the halftime lead.

 

The Golden Eagles quickly got the lead up to seven, 28-21, four minutes into the second half and still led by seven, 41-34, with 10:48 to play.

 

But Slippery Rock used a 7-0 spurt thanks to four Danielle Smith points and an Alex Beatty three to tie the game at 41 with 9:08 to play. But an old-school three-point play by Ann Deibert started the 17-5 run that changed the game to Clarion's favor.

 

In addition to her 22 points, Jones added six rebounds and five assists. She shot 10 of 18 from the floor including 2 of 5 from three-point range. Emma Fickel added nine points, Mackenzie Clark seven and Deibert six points and five rebounds for Clarion.

 

Smith was the lone Slippery Rock player in double figures with 10 points while adding seven rebounds despite fouling out with 8:29 to play. Sherita Stanley added eight points and nine rebounds, Marylynda Harland eight points, Beatty seven points and Emilee Vitez six points and nine rebounds for Slippery Rock.

 

Clarion returns to action at 1 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Edinboro.

 

NOTES – The Golden Eagles shot 37.5 percent for the game but 51.6 percent in the second half. It was the third straight game Clarion has shot over 50 percent in the second half … Jones' previous high for points was 15 at Fairmont St. Dec. 30 … Clarion is 1-0 in PSAC-West play for the first time since 2007 … The Golden Eagles have won seven of their past nine games against Slippery Rock including 6 of 8 at Morrow Field House … Fickel hit three more three-pointers giving her 42 on the season, the most by a Golden Eagle freshman since Allison Stodart had 57 in 2000. Fickel has hit multiple threes in 12 of her 13 games this season including three or more in eight games.