Game Notes | Listen Live | Live Stats 

CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion University women's basketball team is hoping the third time is the charm when it travels to California (Pa.) for the opening round of the PSAC Playoffs at 7 p.m. Saturday.
 
The game can be heard on WCUC, 91.7 FM in Clarion and on the internet at www.clariongoldeneagles.com with Matt Catrillo and Eddie McDonald bringing all the action. Live stats from the game will also be available at www.clariongoldeneagles.com.
 
It's the third meeting between the schools this year with fourth-seeded Cal (19-7 overall, 15-7 PSAC West) taking the first two including a 68-64 win at Clarion Wednesday night, and it's the third straight postseason appearance for fifth-seeded Clarion (13-15, 9-13) vs. the Vulcans with Cal taking the first two (60-57 in 2009 at Cal and 81-68 in 2008 at Cal).
 
Clarion is in the postseason for the first time since that 2009 loss and is looking for its first playoff win since beating Shippensburg 69-49 in the quarterfinals at Clarion in 2005. Since then, the Golden Eagles have dropped three postseason games – the 2005 semifinals at Millersville and the two quarterfinal games against California.
 
The Golden Eagles are also looking for their first win at Cal since beating the Vulcans 60-58 Feb. 4, 1998. Clarion has dropped 18 consecutive decisions to Cal in the borough of California including a 69-44 loss Jan. 30 that saw the Vulcans outscore the Golden Eagles 44-19 in the second half after the teams were tied at 25 at halftime.
 
Hannah Heeter led Clarion in the Jan. 30 game with 13 points and six rebounds, while Stephanie Michael paced California with 18 points and Chelsea McKnight had 16.  
 
Cal seemed to carry that momentum over into Wednesday's game at Clarion jumping out to a 38-21 halftime lead, but Clarion roared back in the second half and took a 59-58 lead with four minutes to play before Cal was able to rebound and pull out the victory.
 
Heeter had a monster game for Clarion in the loss Wednesday with 18 points and 18 rebounds, while freshman Tania Holmes had a career high with 19 points while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Elena Antonenko paced Cal with 29 points and nine rebounds, Irina Kukolj had 16 points, nine rebounds and six steals and Michael chipped in 10 points.
 
The main weapon for Clarion this season, Heeter is the lone PSAC player to be averaging a double-double (14.5 ppg, 13.3 rpg) and she leads the PSAC and is second in the country in rebounding while placing fifth in the PSAC in scoring. She is also the PSAC leader in shooting at 52 percent (130 of 250) from the field.
 
Heeter has recorded 15 double-doubles in 24 games this season and 18 double-digit rebound games while pulling down 319 rebounds on the season, the fifth-most in school history. In her two-year career, she has 28 double-doubles and 33 double-digit rebounding contests in 48 games and has 603 rebounds, the 12^th most ever at Clarion. Her nine games of at least 15 rebounds this season and her 17 career games of at least 15 rebounds are both school records.
 
But Clarion is far from a one-person team.
 
Junior guard Raven Jones is averaging 9.2 points per game and 2.9 apg and ranks fourth in school history with 330 helpers.
 
A trio of freshman and two juniors give the Golden Eagles seven players averaging at least five points a game.
 
Holmes scores 7.8 ppg while dishing out 2.1 apg, freshman Mariah Gador averages 6.8 ppg and 3.4 rpg and freshman Leisha Crawford scores at a 5.8 ppg pace while dishing out 1.9 apg. Juniors Lauren Savulchak (5.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Ann Deibert (5.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and senior Aleya Miller (4.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) assist Heeter in the post and junior Emma Fickel (4.3 ppg, 22 3's) gives Clarion a sharpshooter off the bench. Also finding their way into the rotation on a routine bases are freshman Jasmine Boy (2.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and sophomore Nicole Miloser (2.6 ppg).
 
Michael is Cal's leading scorer at 13.8 ppg while hitting a team-high 69 three-pointers. Ashley Hines adds 9.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, Emma Mahady adds 9.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, Kukolj 8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, Antonenko 7.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, Ryah Gadson 6.7 ppg, McKnight 6.2 ppg and Kate Seebohm 5.7 ppg, 5.2 apg.
 
NOTES – The winner of the game travels to top-seeded Gannon for a quarterfinal game Tuesday night … This is the first season the PSAC has taken six teams from each division to the PSAC playoffs. From 1997-2012, the conference took four teams from each division to the postseason … The addition of the two teams means the top two teams in each division get a first-round bye … Clarion's 13 wins are the most since the Golden Eagles won 14 games in 2010 … This is the 14^th time Clarion has reached the PSAC postseason. The Golden Eagles are 9-10 all-time in PSAC playoff action and won PSAC titles in 1991, 1993 and 1994. Of the 14 PSAC playoff years, 24^th-year head coach Gie Parsons has led Clarion to 12 of them going 9-8 with the three PSAC titles … Heeter's 13.3 rpg would be the school record for rebounding average in a season. The current record is 12.5 rpg set in 1980 by Lisa Zitalone, who played for both Clarion and California. If Heeter gets zero rebounds Saturday, she would still be averaging 12.8 rpg … Heeter is also almost assured of a season double-double, which would be her second season double-double after she averaged 13.4 ppg and 11.8 rpg while being named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year last season. She would be the fifth player in school history and the first since Heather Cigich to average a season double-double in multiple years. The school record is three held by Carlita Jones (1993-95) … Maybe the most amazing aspect of Heeter's season is she didn't pick up a basketball until Clarion was four games into the year. She is also a starter on Clarion's NCAA Division II qualifying volleyball team and was an AVCA All-Region selection. A great student as well, Heeter has twice this year been named a second-team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American earning the award in both volleyball and basketball. She is the first player in school history to earn the award in two separate sports.