Box Score  
INDIANA, Pa. – A valiant comeback attempt by the Clarion University men's basketball team fell just short against IUP Saturday night at IUP's Kovalchick Convention & Athletic Complex, as the Crimson Hawks held off the Golden Eagles for a 68-65 win.
 
Clarion (14-8 overall, 10-6 PSAC West) trailed by 20, 43-23, at halftime and by 22 early in the second half before coming all the way back to take a 59-56 lead with six minutes to play.
 
But IUP went on an 8-0 run to retake the lead with, 64-59, with 1:49 left thanks to four points from Macel Souberielle.
 
An old-school three by Bud Teer got Clarion back to within two, 64-62, with 1:32 left, and then, after IUP hit a pair of free throws, Winfield Willis nailed a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to make it 66-65. After two more IUP free throws, a last second, desperation, off-balance three-pointer by Paul McQueen rattled off the rim.
 
IUP dominated the first half shooting 65.4 percent from the field to take the 20-point halftime lead. But Clarion got back in the game in the second half thanks to a team effort that saw six different Golden Eagles score at least four points during a game-changing 36-11 run.
 
McQueen and Willis each had eight points during the run, while Calvin Edwards had six, Bud Teer and Leonard Patterson five each and Mike Kromka four.
 
Willis led Clarion with 17 points, McQueen added 15 points and eight rebounds with Teer and Kromka each scoring 10 points.
 
Julian Sanders led IUP with 18 points, Ashton Smith added 14 and Anthony Wells and Souberielle each had 10.
 
Clarion returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mercyhurst.
 
NOTES – Willis now has 369 points on the season, the third most by a freshman at Clarion since 1970.