CLARION, Pa. – Despite 22 points, five assists, and five rebounds from junior guard Tania Holmes, the Clarion University women's basketball team fell to California (Pa.) 72-61 Saturday night at Tippin Gymnasium.
 
Holmes scored over 20 points for the third time in the past five games, and she is the Golden Eagles leading scorer with 16.3 ppg.  Holmes finished 11-for-12 from the free throw line becoming the first Clarion player to hit at least 10 free throws in a game Lauren Savulchak hit 11 at Lock Havne Feb. 20, 2013 and the first Golden Eagle to make 10 at home since Katrina Greer hit 11 vs. Urbana Jan. 26, 2009. The 91.7 percent from the line was the highest by a Clarion player since Greer hit 10 of 10 at Lock Haven Feb. 20, 2008.  
 
Hannah Heeter, who was honored prior to the game for reaching the 1,000^-point mark vs. West Virginia State Nov. 15, recorded her 47^th career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while adding five assists, and three steals. The 47 double-doubles ties Heeter for the third most in school history with Mona Gaffney. Carlita Jones holds the school record with 61, while Heather Cigich had 60.
 
Delrika Jones-Carey finished with a career-high 16 points and seven rebounds for Clarion while Maria Taylor chipped in with six points and four boards.
 
Emma Mahady led the way for California (Pa.) with 19 points and three boards.  Kaitlyn Fratz added 13 points and eight assists while Miki Glenn also finished in double figures with 10 points while dishing out five assists. 
 
After trailing 37-34 at the half, the Golden Eagles opened the second half on an 11-5 run to take a 45-42 lead with 12:45 left.
 
Later in the second half, Clarion still led 49-48 with 10:36 left before the Vulcans (7-1 overall, 4-0 PSAC West) went on a 13-2 run to take a 61-51 lead with just over six minutes left.  The Golden Eagles pulled within eight, 64-56, at the final media timeout, 3:59, but that's as close as Clarion got.
 
 
The Golden Eagles (1-6, 0-3) scored 32 points in the paint while the Vulcans scored 26. Holmes shot and made the only three-point attempt for Clarion in the game which came early in the second half.  California (Pa.) made nine three-pointers finishing 9-for-25 from behind the arc.
 
In the first half,  the Golden Eagles had their largest lead of the game early on, 6-2, but the Vulcans took control and went on a 15-4 run to take a 17-10 lead. 
 
Midway through the first half trailing 20-12, Clarion went on a 10-0 run to retake a 22-20 lead led by six points from Heeter and two points each from Jones-Carey and Holmes.  The Vulcans answered with a 9-2 run to take the lead by five in a back-and-fourth half. Clarion pulled within one at 33-32 before the Vulcans took the 37-34 halftime advantage.
 
The Golden Eagles held California (Pa.) to just 41.7 percent from the floor (25-of-60) while Clarion shot at a slightly better mark at 43.8 percent (21-for-48).
 
With finals week approaching, the Golden Eagles will be off for 10 days before returning home 5:30 p.m. Dec. 16 to face Bloomsburg before hosting East Stroudsburg at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 17.