Box Score CLARION, Pa. – Scoring over 100 points for the first time in nine years, the Clarion University women's basketball team erased a 17-point first-half deficit and beat Mountain East Conference preseason favorite West Liberty 104-88 on the second day of the Clarion Classic at Tippin Gym.
 
"It was unbelievable," Clarion's 25^th year head coach Gie Parsons, who saw her Golden Eagles score 100 points for the first time since Nov. 19, 2004 (Clarion 102, West Virginia Tech 62), said. "We scored 60 points in the second half after fizzling out in the second half yesterday (a 74-55 loss to Charleston (W. Va.)). I was really happy with the balance we showed."
 
Clarion had five players reach double figures in the win.
 
Emma Fickel led the Golden Eagles (1-1) with career-high 27 points, one of five players in double figures, on 10 of 16 shooting including 5 of 8 from three-point range. She added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
"She is really positive right now," Parsons said of her senior shooter. "She has really gotten her confidence back, and when she is on, she can score."
 
Red-shirt freshman point guard Kelly Johnson just missed a triple-double finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and five steals in her second collegiate game.
 
"I am extremely happy with how Kelly played, especially considering it's just her second game in two years and the fact she hasn't had a chance to practice much this year either.
 
Raven Jones chipped in 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while freshman Delrika Carey-Jones had 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and a block off the bench. Tania Holmes also had 11 points while adding five rebounds and two steals. Jen Straw added six points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Jasmine Boyd also had six points to go with three rebounds and two steals.
 
Jasmin Kiley paced West Liberty (1-3) with 25 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Liz Flowers had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds while adding six helpers. Kailee Howe also scored 19 points for the Hilltoppers, and Jenn Mohney chipped in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
It was all West Liberty early on with the Hilltoppers jumping out to a 28-11 lead with 10:15 left in the first half.
 
But the rest of the game belonged to Clarion. The Golden Eagles went on a 16-4 run to get within five, 32-27, on a Holmes layup at the 5:52 mark. Seven different players scored during the run with Johnson scoring four and Jones-Carey three.
 
West Liberty temporarily stopped the bleeding getting the lead back to 10, 39-29, with 3:43 left in the first half, but Clarion finished the half on a 15-2 run fueled by eight points from Jones to take a 44-41 halftime lead.
Clarion's lead was two, 51-49, with 16:18 left before a 22-8 run pushed the lead into double figures for good. Once again, five different players score during the run led by seven points from Johnson and five from Fickel.
 
Clarion returns to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday when it starts PSAC West play at Slippery Rock.
 
NOTES – Clarion last scored at least 104 points Feb. 1, 1999, when it beat Columbia Union 105-35 … Clarion's men's team also scored 100 points Saturday beating Penn State-DuBois 121-64 marking just the third time in school history both Golden Eagles teams broke the century mark on the same day and the first time since Nov. 23, 1991 (Men 129-60 over Lake Erie and women 112-53 over St. Vincent). It also occurred on Feb. 23, 1991 when the women topped Seton Hill 116-69 and the men beat Misericordia  130-67 … West Liberty, which is coming off its seventh 20-win season in the last eight years, garnered votes in the initial NCAA Division II USA Today Preseason Top 25 poll … For the second straight game, Clarion was without 2013 All-PSAC West and Daktronics All-Region volleyball player Hannah Heeter, who is also a member of Clarion's PSAC West champion volleyball team … In the first game of the Clarion Classic Saturday, Charleston beat Millersville 86-71 behind 25 points from Chyress Lockhart. Millersville was led by Carly Gallagher's 21 points and Shelby Reimer's 20 points.