CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion men's basketball team erased a second half deficit and held off a hard charge by California (Pa.) in the final minutes, as the Golden Eagles earned a 68-64 win over the Vulcans at Tippin Gymnasium on Saturday night.  The win improves the Golden Eagles to 11-11 overall, 8-8 in Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference play.
 
Clarion trailed by six points with 8:50 left to go in regulation but went on a 17-9 run to take a 60-58 lead with 2:28 to play.  They never trailed again as the Golden Eagles strangled the life out of the Vulcan attack, holding California without a field goal from the 6:48 mark until there were just 11 seconds left in regulation.
 
Cameron Grumley led a balanced offensive effort with a team-high 14 points off the bench, with the guard starting the second half and playing 24 total minutes in the win.  BJ Andrews added 13 points with a 4-of-7 performance from three-point range, and Larry Johnson, Jr. added 12 points in 18 minutes of action. 
 
The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Vulcans 35-34 and forced 16 turnovers, turning those miscues into 14 total points.  California shot the ball well, finishing with a 45.1 field goal percentage, but the turnovers were too much to overcome as Clarion was afforded eight additional shots in the two-possession game. 
 
Richard Smith put California ahead 54-50 with 6:48 to play, but Andrews cut into that lead with a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor to make it a one-point game.  Grumley scored in the paint on the next possession to put the Golden Eagles ahead by one, and Johnson gave Clarion the lead for good with a layup at the 3:56 mark, making it 59-58. 
 
The key sequence late came with Clarion holding a 62-60 lead with 0:41 remaining.  The Vulcans brought the ball down the court but Grumley swiped the ball from Khalil Jabbie along the baseline, with Andre' Anthony drawing contact from Jabbie to add insult to injury.  Clarion went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to clinch the win.
 
The Golden Eagles led by as many as nine points in the first half, taking a 17-8 advantage with 8:20 to play after Anthony hit a midrange jumper.  California countered with a 14-0 run to take a 22-17 lead, and the Vulcans led 29-21 after a tip-in from Jabbie.  Johnson and Grumley added baskets at the end of the half to cut into the lead, though, and Clarion trailed just 29-26 at half.