Box Score CLARION, Pa. – If Wednesday's PSAC West regular-season finale between Clarion and California was a preview of Saturday's PSAC Playoff game between the two squads, then fans should be in for a treat.
 
Visiting Cal (19-7 overall, 15-7 PSAC West) built 19-point lead late in the first half before Clarion (13-15, 9-13) rallied to take a 1-point lead with four minutes to play only to see the Vulcans finish the game on a 10-5 run to get a 68-64 win.
 
The two teams will meet up again at 7 p.m. Saturday in the PSAC Playoffs. Clarion is the fifth seed out of PSAC West while Cal is the fourth seed.  
 
On Wednesday, Clarion lost despite sophomore forward Hannah Heeter setting the school record for career 15-rebound games when she recorded the 17^th of her young career with an 18-point, 18-rebound game. It was the 28^th double-double of her career and her 15^th of the season tying the school record for double-doubles by a sophomore with Heather Cigich and Carlita Jones. She had been tied for the school lead in 15-rebound games with Cigich prior to Wednesday's performance. Heeter shot 9 of 12 from the field and had four steals and an assist and scored 16 of her points after halftime.
 
Freshman Tania Holmes added a career-best 19 points to go with seven rebounds, three assist and a steal.
 
Elena Antonenko led all scorers with 20 points for Cal while adding nine rebounds. Irina Kukolj chipped in with 16 points, nine rebounds and six steals and Stephanie Michael had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals and hit the game-clinching free throws with just under three seconds to play and Cal leading by two.
 
The Vulcans led by 19, 38-19, with 20 seconds left in the first half and still led by 17, 38-21, at halftime and in the first minute of the second half, 40-23, before Clarion rallied to within five, 47-42, with 12:44 to play thanks to six points each from Heeter and Lauren Savulchak.
 
Cal was able top push the lead back to 12, 55-43, with 10:35 left before a 16-3 Clarion run gave the Golden Eagles their first lead since early in the first half at 59-58 with 4:11 left. Heeter and Holmes each had six points during the stretch for Clarion.
 
But the Vulcans scored the next five points on an Antonenko jumper and a Michael three to go up 63-59 with 1:56 left.
 
Clarion answered with a Heeter layup at 1:18 to get back within two, 63-61, and got the ball back with 51 seconds left. But an Aleya Miller turnover gave Cal the ball back with about a seven-second differential on the shot clock.
 
The Golden Eagles elected to play defense as opposed to fouling the Vulcans, and Ryah Gadson made Clarion pay when she nailed a three with 10 seconds left to put the lead to 66-61.
 
But Holmes kept Clarion's hopes alive with a three of her own with just under four seconds left before Michael's free throws ended the comeback hopes of the Golden Eagles.
 
NOTES – After shooting 29.4 percent (10 of 34) in the first half, the Golden Eagles shot 70.4 percent (19 of 27) in the second half to finish the game at 47.5 percent (29 of 61) … Cal shot 26 of 71 for the game (36.6 percent) … Heeter has recorded 319 rebounds this season, the fifth most in a season in school history. She is averaging 13.3 rebounds per game. The school record in a season is 12.5 set by Lisa Zitalone in 1980 … Heeter has 18 double-digit rebounding games in 24 contests this year and 33 in 48 career games … Heeter is all but assured of averaging a double-double this season (she is currently averaging 14.5 ppg and 13.3 rpg including 14.1 ppg and 13.8 rpg in PSAC play). It would be the second straight season she has averaged a season double-double becoming just the fifth player in school history to do that in multiple seasons. She is the only player in the PSAC to be averaging a double-double this year and one of just three in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region … Holmes' previous high this season was 16 points at Mercyhurst Jan. 16 … The 13 regular-season wins for Clarion are the most for the Golden Eagles since winning 14 in 2010 … Clarion is in the PSAC playoffs for the first time since 2009 and for the 14^th time in school history including the 12^th time under 24^th-year head coach Gie Parsons, who has led Clarion to three PSAC titles, six NCAA Division II playoff spots and two NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances in her tenure … Prior to the game Clarion honored three seniors – Amanda Gough, Miller and Savulchak (who is a red-shirt junior but senior in class status and graduating).