GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team found itself embroiled in a defensive struggle on Wednesday evening as the Golden Eagles fell to Seton Hill 53-46 on the road.  Clarion drops to 7-14 overall and 7-8 in Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference (PSAC) play with the loss.
 
Neither team was able to generate much offensive, with only four total players cracking double-digits in scoring and both teams shooting under 40.0 percent in the second half.  Clarion struggled from long range, going just 1-of-15 from three-point range, and was outrebounded by a 44-38 margin.  The Golden Eagles' ability to score from the free throw line helped to keep the game close, with Clarion going 11-of-14 from the charity stripe and the Griffins just 5-of-16.
 
Tania Holmes and Jordan Bekelja tied for the game-high with 12 points apiece; Holmes produced her points total on 5-of-11 shooting Bekelja on 4-of-7 with four free throws.  Ashley DeLeonibus entered off the bench and pulled in a team-high 11 rebounds while Delrika Jones-Carey hauled in nine caroms.  Tyra Polite had six points, three rebounds and a steal.
 
The Golden Eagles very briefly held the lead in the first quarter, with Bekelja tying the game at 4-4 with four straight free throws and Holmes putting the team ahead 6-4 on a jumper in the paint.  Bekelja cut it to a two-possession game with 15 seconds left in the period, making a jumper in the paint herself, but Alexandra Hay gave Seton Hill a 16-10 advantage with a make of her own as time expired in the quarter.
 
Holmes kept it close early in the second quarter as well, scoring on the Golden Eagles' first possession to cut Seton Hill's lead to 16-12, but the Griffins fired back with a 5-0 run to take a three-possession lead.  DeLeonibus cut it to five with a jumper at the 5:34 mark, and Holmes drained a pair of free throws with 1:49 left to make it just 23-18.  Seton Hill mounted another run, though, closing the half on a 7-1 run to hold a 30-19 lead at the break.
 
Seton Hill led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter and held an 11-point lead at the break, but the Golden Eagles cut it to single digits with under three minutes to play.  Polite made a three-pointer late to cut it to seven points, but Clarion was unable to finish off the comeback in falling to the Griffins.