Box Score CLARION, Pa. – Raven Jones' layup with 7.3 seconds left completed a game-ending 10-1 run by Clarion over the last 1:37 that lifted the Golden Eagles to a 51-49 win over visiting Mercyhurst Wednesday night at Tippin Gym.
 
Mariah Gador also played a key role in the game-winning run with four points and a crucial steal just before the Jones' game-winning layup.
 
Clarion (12-12, 8-10 PSAC West) trailed 48-41 following a pair of Dana Banda free throws for Mercyhurst with 1:58 to play, but freshman Leisha Crawford got the comeback started with two free throws of her own at the 1:37 mark. Gador then followed the Crawford free throws – and a Mercyhurst charity shot – with a layup to get Clarion within four, 49-45 with 1:05 to play. She was fouled on the play but missed the free throw. Jones, though, corralled the rebound and was fouled before hitting a pair of charity shots that got the Golden Eagles within two, 49-47.
 
Mercyhurst (7-15, 7-11) then committed an offensive foul with 40 seconds to go, but Gador missed a layup with 23.3 seconds left with the rebound going out of bounds to Mercyhurst.
 
Hannah Heeter, however, made a fantastic steal for the Golden Eagles knocking the inbound pass off a Mercyhurst player and out of bounds. That set up a Gador 7-foot jumper from the baseline that tied the game at 49 with 20 seconds to play.
 
Gador then got in the passing lane of a Mercyhurst toss deflecting the ball to Heeter who threw an outlet pass to Jones on a breakaway. Jones scored and was fouled. She was momentarily shaken up on the play, and Tania Holmes came off the bench to shoot the free throw, which was no good.
 
Mercyhurst then had a shot to win it, but a Kristi Ewanick 3-pointer was too strong with the rebound falling into Heeter's hands at the horn.
 
Jones had a season-high 22 points to lead Clarion, just two off her career best, and added four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Heeter had 10 points, all in the first half, and eight rebounds while also coming away with a pair of steals. Gador chipped in eight points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
 
Lindsay Burke was the lone Mercyhurst player in double digits with 11 points to go with four rebounds with all 11 tallies coming before halftime. Alayna White added nine points and six rebounds with Taylor Krusinski adding seven points.
 
Clarion led 27-23 at the half before Mercyhurst started the second half on a 12-4 run to take its first lead of the game. The Lakers then moved the advantage up to as many as seven a couple of times, the last being on the Banda free throws.
 
The Golden Eagles return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gannon.
 
NOTES – It was Clarion's Hooping for a Cure Cancer Awareness game with a halftime recognition ceremony of cancer survivors organized by The Cancer Center at Clarion Hospital, an American Cancer Society information table and various fundraisers with all monies donated to The Cancer Center at Clarion Hospital … Jones' previous high this season was 18 vs. West Chester … Jones was involved in Clarion's last game-winning/game-tying shot in the final 10 seconds when she hit a 3-pointer with one second left against California last year to send a game to overtime, and Clarion won in overtime. It is the first time Clarion has hit a game-winning field goal in the final 10 seconds of a game since My'Kea Cohill did so Feb. 25, 2007 in a 76-74 win over Slippery Rock (Mackenzie Clark hit a free throw in the final 10 seconds in 2011 to win a game with 1.7 seconds left) … Clarion has a four-game lead on a PSAC playoff spot with four games to play. One Clarion win or one Lock Haven loss clinches the Golden Eagles first postseason berth since 2009.