Box Score MANSFIELD, Pa. – Junior Stevie Ray went off for a career-high 26 points on a superb night from three-point range and the Clarion women's basketball team improved to 3-2 in Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference (PSAC) play with a 75-64 win over Mansfield on Friday.  The Golden Eagles (3-5, 3-2 PSAC) will face off against Lock Haven tomorrow afternoon.
 
Ray went 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, firing away at a 55.6 percent clip from the land of plenty in pouring in her 26 points.  She came just one point short of tying the season-high for the Golden Eagles, with Tania Holmes tallying 27 points against West Virginia State earlier this year.  Ray also added three rebounds and three steals in the winning effort.
 
Tyra Polite came just one rebound short of a double-double, posting 16 points and nine boards in a team-high 35 minutes of action.  Holmes was dangerously close as well, posting 15 points and eight rebounds. 
 
Clarion led for nearly the entire game, holding the advantage for more than 33 minutes of action.  They forced the Mountaineers into 21 turnovers and scored 22 points off those miscues.  The Golden Eagles held Mansfield to 26.8 percent shooting from the field.

"We had a great practice yesterday and that carried over into how we defended today," said head coach Jana Ashley.  "We didn't quite finish the game the way I would have liked, but any conference win on the road is huge for us.

"In particular, it was nice to see our bench step up and produce tonight," said Ashley.  "It's good to know that when the defense gameplans against our top offensive players we have others that can contribute."
 
The Golden Eagles scored the first hoop of the evening and led for nearly the entire game, other than a few brief moments in the first half.  Mansfield took a 13-11 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first quarter but Ray drilled a three before the break to put her team ahead after period's end. 
 
The Mountaineers briefly held a 19-17 lead in the second quarter as well, but the Golden Eagles went on an 11-0 run to take the advantage for good.  Taylor Moltz capped the run with a three-pointer off a feed from Ray and the Golden Eagles led going into halftime despite a late surge by the Mountaineers.
 
Holmes had a hand in the first two baskets of the third quarter, putting back an offensive rebound to open the scoring and then dishing to Polite for a midrange jumper on the next possession, making it 32-24.  Delrika Jones-Carey made it a 10-point advantage with a make at the 7:53 mark, making it 37-27, and Holmes drilled a trey with less than two minutes to go in the quarter to put the Golden Eagles ahead 50-34.
 
Things were never very close after that, with the Golden Eagles holding leads of 17 points on several occasions in the fourth quarter.  Ray made a layup to make it 55-38 early on in the quarter and again made it a 17-point edge after Amesha Harden-Pulliam picked a Mansfield player's pocket and advanced it to Ray in transition.