Box Score CLARION, Pa. – Showing an explosive offense not seen last year, the Clarion University men's basketball team rolled to a season-opening 121-64 win over visiting Penn State-DuBois Saturday afternoon at Tippin Gym.
 
"It's good to get out of the blocks quickly, we hadn't done that in a while" Clarion head coach Ron Righter, whose team hadn't won a season opener since starting the 2010-11 season, said.
 
The Golden Eagles (1-0) got out of the blocks quickly in more ways than one. Clarion scored 72 first-half points, the most in a half this century, including 42 in the first 10 minutes of the season. In comparison, the Golden Eagles scored fewer than 72 points in 20 of 26 games last season. The 121 total points are the 11^th most in a game in school history and the most since scoring 124 vs. Penn State-New Kensington Nov. 17, 2009.
 
And the scoring was spread of for Clarion with six players reaching double figures.
 
"We were really balanced offensively," Righter said. "I liked that about today's game."
 
Mike Kromka had a huge day with 17 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. The 20 rebounds marks just the third time since 1981 a Golden Eagle has recorded 20 boards in a game and the most since Bud Teer had 23 in February 2011. Kromka added four blocks, which tied a career high, three steals, which also tied a career high, and three assists.
 
Junior  DeMarius Miller, playing his first regular-season game as a Golden Eagle, led Clarion with 22 points on 10 of 15 shooting. He added three assists and three steals in just 19 minutes of play.
 
Marques Jones chipped in 18 points, four steals, tying a career best, and three assists. Corey Bellovich had his first Clarion double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and also added three steals and two helpers, while freshman BJ Andrews had 13 points, five assists and three steals and junior Darius Stevens, playing his first game for Clarion, finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block and an assist. Jeremy Schmader chipped in five steals, two blocked shots, two assists and two steals and was lauded by Righter for his defensive effort.
 
Clarion's defense was a big reason for the victory, as the Golden Eagles forced 30 turnovers and had 27 steals, tying for the most steals in a game since 1981. Clarion has had 27 in a game on Nov. 17, 1998 vs D'Youville. The Golden Eagles scored 37 points off those turnovers.
 
Khalil Hopson paced Penn State-DuBois with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal. Marshaun Hyman added 13 points, while Sam Roselli had 10 points and eight rebounds to go with three blocked shots.  
 
Clarion started the game on 12-0 run in the first two minutes and led 33-8 eight minutes into the contest before expanding the advantage to 47 points, 72-25, at halftime thanks to 13 points by Jones, 11 each by Bellovich and Miller and 10 from Stevens. The lead then got to as many as 63 points twice in the second half.
 
NOTES – Chris Roosevelt also had 20 rebounds Feb. 23, 1983 … Overall, Kromka's 20 rebounds is the 17^th known time a Golden Eagle recorded at least 20 boards in a game (records are incomplete) … The 64 team rebounds are the third most in a game since 1981 by the Golden Eagles … The 72 first-half points marked the first time Clarion scored 70 in a half since putting up 70 in the second half vs. Goldey-Beacom Jan. 10, 2000.