CLARION, Pa. – Tania Holmes recorded her first career double-double, but Mercyhurst used a 13-0 second-half run to get a 53-41 win over Clarion in PSAC West women's basketball action Wednesday night at Clarion's Tippin Gym.
 
Holmes recorded 19 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for the Golden Eagles (1-15 overall, 0-11 PSAC West) and hit four 3-pointers.
 
But Mercyhurst (6-11, 4-8) used the 13-0 run to break a 27-all tie after Clarion, which trailed 23-21 at halftime, had tied the contest on a basket by Leslie Hoye with 13:17 to play.
 
Alex Artise got the run started by scoring the first seven points of the spurt, and by the time it was over, the Lakers led 40-27 with 8:54 left.
 
Mercyhurst then built the lead to as many as 17, 49-32, with 4:48 left before a late Golden Eagle run got Clarion back within 12 on three different occasions.
 
Delrika Jones-Carey added 10 points and seven rebounds for Clarion, while Amesha Harden-Pullium and Hoye each had five and Maria Taylor two.
 
Artise led Mercyhust with 12 points and six rebounds, while Jessica Bell also had 12 tallies to go with four boards, and Natalie Piaggesi nine points, six rebounds, five steals and four helpers.
 
The first half was tightly contested with Mercyhurst leading throughout but never by more than the seven they led by at 21-14 with 4:13 left in the half.
 
Clarion ended the first half on a 7-2 run led by four points from Jones-Carey and a triple by Holmes.
 
The Golden Eagles then stayed in the game in the first seven minutes of the second half thanks to a strong defensive effort that held Mercyhurst to four points in the first seven-plus minutes of the half.
 
Clarion will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Edinboro.