WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Clarion women's basketball team rallied after a slow first half to pull within striking distance of their opponent, but the Golden Eagles fell in a 67-49 decision to 18th-ranked West Liberty on Sunday.  Clarion (3-7) will be back in action tomorrow evening when they host Wheeling Jesuit at Tippin Gymnasium at 6 p.m.
 
Tyra Polite tied for the game-high with 21 points while also recording four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while teammate Delrika Jones-Carey added 12 points and five boards.  The Golden Eagles did a good job controlling the basketball, committing a minimal 10 turnovers while forcing 19 against the Hilltoppers.
 
On the whole the Golden Eagles hung tough with their nationally-ranked opponent, using a big push in the second quarter to pull within just a single basket at halftime.  It was just a three-possession game at the end of the third before the Hilltoppers pulled away in the final 10 minutes of action. 
 
West Liberty led Clarion 24-10 before the Golden Eagles put on a major run in the second quarter, starting with a three-pointer by Polite at the 7:08 mark of the quarter.  Jones-Carey added a pair of free throws to cut it to 31-19 and Jen Straw made it a single-digit game with a jumper with 3:54 remaining in the quarter.  Polite fed Jones-Carey for a jumper to cut the lead to 33-25 and made it a one-possession game with a three-pointer near the end of the quarter, taking a pass from Jordan Bekelja and draining the trey with 14 seconds left to make it just a 34-32 game at halftime.
 
Jones-Carey tied the game for the first time since tip-off when she opened the third quarter with a jumper, and the game was still within striking distance and the end of the third quarter when Bekelja made a pair of free throws cut it to 48-39 with a pair of free throws.  Polite made a buzzer-beating jumper at the end of the third to cut it to 48-41.
 
It was still a single-digit game with 4:20 to play, but the Hilltoppers pulled ahead on an 11-2 run to close out the game.