Box Score GREENSBURG, Pa. – Behind strong games from Kelly Johnson, Hannah Heeter and Jasmine Boyd, the Clarion University women's basketball team climbed into a tie for the final PSAC playoff spot awarded to the PSAC West with a 69-56 road win at Seton Hill Wednesday night in Greensburg.
 
The win, Clarion's second in a row, coupled with a 70-63 Mercyhurst loss to last-place Slippery Rock ties the Golden Eagles (10-12 overall, 4-8 PSAC West) with Mercyhurst (6-16, 4-8) for the sixth and final PSAC playoff spot given to the PSAC West. Both teams, who play Feb. 23 at Clarion, are a game back of idle Pitt-Johnstown (8-14, 5-7) for fifth place and a ½ game ahead of Seton Hill (12-11, 4-9). Mercyhurst beat Clarion 66-49 Jan. 22 in Erie.
 
Wednesday night, Clarion was able to get the road win, its third in PSAC West play this year, thanks to 23 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists from Johnson, 15 points and 16 rebounds from Heeter and 15 points, six rebounds from Boyd.
 
It was the fifth 20-point game of the season for Johnson, who came into the game as the top scoring freshman in the PSAC at 13.2 points per game, while Heeter's double-double was her eighth in a row, her 12^th of the season and the 41^st of her career. It also marked the 22^nd time in Heeter's career she has had at least 15 rebounds in a game and the fifth time this season. The 22 are a school record while the five this year ties for the fifth most times a player in school history has had 15 or more rebounds (Heeter holds the top two marks with nine in 2013 and eight in 2012). For Boyd, it continued her solid play of late and was her second straight game of at least 15 points.
 
Seton Hill got 19 points from Paige Alviani, 11 points and 13 rebounds from Katie Gattuso and eight points and 11 rebounds from Mallory Mastroianni.
 
Clarion, which led 33-31 at halftime, found itself down six, 43-37, with 12 ½ minutes to play after the Griffins started the second half on a 12-4 run.
 
But Heeter, Boyd and Johnson led the Golden Eagles back with the three-some combining to score all 15 points during a game-changing 15-3 run that gave Clarion a 52-46 lead with 5:57 to play. Heeter scored six points during the run with Boyd adding five and Johnson four. A pair of Johnson free throws started it before a basket by Boyd and two by Heeter tied the game at 45. Boyd then gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good with a layup at 9:07 before a Heeter basket, Boyd free throw and Johnson layup got the lead to six.
 
Seton Hill fought back and closed to within two, 54-52, when Alviani nailed a 3-pointer with 4:09 to play, but after a Seton Hill timeout Johnson answered with a 3-ball of her own to make it 57-52, and Boyd followed with a jumper to make it 59-52 with just a touch over three minutes left.
 
The Griffins got it back to five one final time when Gattuso delivered a layup at the 2:54 mark, but a Heeter jumper 21 seconds later restored the lead to seven. The Golden Eagles then survived a 6 of 11 performance from the free-throw line in the final 1:52 to get the victory.
 
Seton Hill led by as many as eight in the first half before Clarion used a half-ending 16-6 run led by seven points from Johnson and five from Emma Fickel, who finished with 10, to take the two-point halftime lead.
 
Clarion, which went 2-1 on a three-game road trip that ended with the win Wednesday, returns to Tippin Gym at 5:30 p.m. Saturday when it hosts California (Pa.). The game is the Golden Eagles annual Pink Game with various fundraising activities, a halftime presentation of Breast Cancer survivors and an information table staffed by the American Cancer Society of Clarion. All proceeds from the even will benefit The Cancer Center at Clarion Hospital.
 
NOTES – Heeter's 41 double-doubles are the fourth most in school history six behind Mona Gaffney's 47 for third. Her 12 double-doubles this year tie Shay Godwin for the third most by a junior in school history. Heeter now has 817 career rebounds, the fifth most in school history. She also has 922 career points … Johnson has 301 points on the season, the eighth most by a freshman in school history and the most since Heeter had 322 two years ago ... Fickel needs 11 points to tie Cheryl Bansek for 10^th in school history in scoring. She has 1,038 points in four seasons.