Box Score CLARION, Pa. – Behind DeMarius Miller's 34 points, his third game of at least 30 points this year, the Clarion University men's basketball team raced past visiting California (Pa.) 91-74 in PSAC West men's basketball action Saturday night at Tippin Gym.
 
Miller hit 12 of 18 shots and scored 22 second-half points while also dishing out a team-high five assists and grabbing two rebounds. The 34 tallies tied for his second-highest total of the season. He also scored 34 vs. Kutztown Dec. 17 and had a season-high 42 points vs. Penn State-Beaver Dec. 15. It was his seventh 20-point game of the year and his second in a row after netting 23 at Seton Hill Wednesday.
 
Miller was one of four Golden Eagles to reach double figures.
 
Mike Kromka added 16 points and six rebounds while dishing out three assists. He shot 7 of 10 from the field, as Clarion (5-16 overall, 3-10 PSAC West) shot a season-high 59.6 percent (34 of 57) from the field, the first time this season the Golden Eagles have made at least half their shots and Clarion's best shooting game since shooting 60.3 percent against Central Penn Dec. 7, 2011, and the best against an NCAA Division II opponent since hitting 60 percent of its shots against West Chester Jan. 3, 2011. It was the 25^th best shooting night since 1981 for Clarion.  
 
Aaron Johnson chipped in 12 points and six rebounds, while Marques Jones added 10 points and four assists.
 
Clarion came out on fire hitting on 63.3 percent of its shots in the first half (19 of 30) while building a 46-31 halftime lead, its biggest halftime lead against a Division II opponent this year and its first halftime lead since Dec. 17 against Kutztown.
 
A 23-7 run from midway through the half into the final minute of the half was the key to the 15-point lead at the break. Six different Golden Eagles scored during the stretch with Kromka netting six, Aaron Johnson five and BJ Andrews and Miller four each helping Clarion take a tie game, 23-all, and expand it to a 46-30 lead on an Andrews layup with 44 seconds left in the half.
 
Cal, which got 22 points from Jake Jacubec and 18 from Tynell Fortune, threatened to make it a game in the second half cutting the Golden Eagles lead to nine on three separate occasions early in the half the latest being 54-45 on a Fortune layup with 14:36 to play.
 
But Clarion had the answer in the form of a 16-6 run that saw Miller score six points and Anthony Baker and Corey Bellovich each net five highlighting the fact seven different Golden Eagles scored.
 
The Vulcans still wouldn't got completely away and cut the deficit back to 11, 78-67, following a Jacubec three, one of six the Cal point guard hit on the night, with 5:27 left.
But again, Clarion answered this time with a 7-0 run with five of the points coming the free throw line the final four after a foul and technical foul on Cal's Alonzo Murphy with 4:21 to play.
 
The Golden Eagles return to action at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gannon.
 
NOTES – Kromka now has 696 rebounds and needs four more to become the first Golden Eagle to 700 since David Shearer in 2002 … Clarion was able to force 15 Cal turnovers after the Vulcans came into the game leading the PSAC with the fewest turnovers per game (12.2). Clarion, which entered the contest sixth in the PSAC with 12.7 turnovers per game had nine, its second fewest of the season … The win was Clarion's first over Cal since Jan. 20, 2010, and its first at Tippin Gym since Feb. 18, 2006 … Clarion has won two straight home games for the first time this season … The win was Clarion third in the past seven games after starting 2-12 … The win coupled with Pitt-Johnstown's loss to Seton Hill kept Clarion from being eliminated from PSAC Playoff contention, although the Golden Eagles would need to win their final three games and have UPJ lose its final three.