Game Notes

CLARION – The Clarion University women's basketball team welcomes No. 21 IUP to Tippin Gym for a 5:30 p.m. PSAC West tip-off Saturday.

The game can be heard on www.redzonemedia.com and live stats are available by clicking here. 

 
The Golden Eagles (4-9 overall, 3-6 PSAC West) enter the game having won three of their past six games but and are coming off a pair of close losses to Bloomsburg (75-68) and Mercyhurst (55-46).
 
IUP (12-1, 8-1) won its first 11 games before falling to Millersville at home last Saturday. The Crimson Hawks rebounded with a 62-43 win over California Wednesday and are on the road for the first time since Dec. 10.
 
Clarion is led by freshman forward Hannah Heeter, who is one of the top rookies in the PSAC. She leads all PSAC freshman and ranks fourth overall in the conference in rebounding at 8.7 rpg while also ranking fourth in field-goal percentage (54.2 percent) while adding 8.8 ppg. Also a member of Clarion's NCAA qualifying volleyball team, Heeter has been getting stronger as she becomes more comfortable with basketball again after spending last year away from the sport. The PSAC West Rookie of the Week last week, she is averaging 12.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg in her last four contests including her first two career double-doubles including a monster 15-point,s 15-rebound effort against Mansfield Jan. 6 and a 10-point, 12-rebound effort against Mercyhurst Wednesday. Heeter is showing an all-around game by also averaging 2.8 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists per contest the four-game span including a career-high four blocks Wednesday.
 
Thanks to Heeter's emergence, Clarion has a very solid front court with sophomore Ann Deibert ranking 23^rd in the PSAC in scoring (12.2 ppg) and 16^th in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and senior Courtney Healy adding 7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 15 blocked shots. Healy ranks fifth in school history with 109 career blocks and needs three more to tie Janelle Zabresky for fourth.
 
Also strong for the Golden Eagles is sophomore guard Emma Fickel, who is 25^th in the conference in scoring at 11.9 ppg and fourth in made three-pointers (2.7). In a year-and-a-half, Fickel has hit 124 three-pointers which is tied for 10^th in school history with Leatha Dudeck. She needs four more to match Bobbie Schneider and Pam Montsier for eighth and hit 11 treys in two games against IUP last season.
 
Sophomore point guard Raven Jones is also second in the PSAC in assists per game (5.7) but is looking cut down on her team-leading 89 turnovers.
 
IUP is led by the PSAC's 13^th leading scorer (13.1 ppg) and eighth-leading rebounder (8.1 rpg) in junior Sarah Pastorek.
 
Also for the Crimson Hawks, Ashley Stoner is averaging 10.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg while Leslie Stapleton adds 8.8 ppg, Marita Mathe 8.4 ppg and Vianca Tejada 8.2 ppg.
 
IUP is also the top defensive team in the conference allowing 50.3 ppg with opponents shooting at league-low 31.3 percent against the Crimson Hawks.
 
Clarion is also tough to shoot against ranking fourth in the conference in shooting defense at 37 percent, but the Golden Eagles are 13^th in points allowed at 69.5 percent in part because of a -7.08 turnover margin, which ranks 15^th in the conference.
 
After Saturday, Clarion is on the road for a pair of games going to Lock Haven (6 p.m.) Wednesday and Gannon (1 p.m.) Saturday before returning home to face California at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 25.