CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team won for the third time in its last four games, claiming their second conference win of the season with a 73-47 decision over Mansfield at Tippin Gymnasium on Saturday.  The Golden Eagles (4-4, 2-1 PSAC) will be back in action tomorrow when they host Lock Haven.
 
The difference in the game came in the first quarter of action, when Clarion outscored Mansfield 21-3 in the opening 10 minutes.  The Mountaineers shot just 22.6 percent from the field in the first half, limiting their ability to come back against the Golden Eagles.  When Mansfield countered and shot the ball better in the second half, the Golden Eagles responded in kind.  Clarion shot 45.2 percent from the field in the last 20 minutes to hold off the rally.  Clarion led for all but the first 16 seconds of the game and led by as many as 30 points with 4:07 left in regulation.
 
Tyra Polite authored an efficient stat line of 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-6 mark from three-point range.  Jordan Bekelja finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists while Quorea Pearyer added 13 points, five boards and four assists.  Delrika Jones-Carey came just one point shy of a double-double, adding nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. 
 
Clarion opened the game on an unbelievable run that started with a jumper by Pearyer.  Polite added a pair of three-pointers to the really, the latter of which came at the 6:41 mark of the first quarter.  Jones-Carey made it 13-0 with a make in the paint, and Bekelja punctuated the 17-0 run with a midrange jumper at the 1:56 mark.  Mansfield did not score their first points until a three-pointer by Bella Ricci with 1:09 left in the first, but they added no more as Clarion took a 21-3 lead into the second quarter.
 
The lead extended to 21 points early in the second quarter on a three-point make by Taylor Moltz, and it reached its high water mark in the second period on a pair of free throw by Bekelja to make it 26-3.  Jones-Carey pushed it to 34-13 with a make in the paint at the 3:22 mark, and Bekelja made it 36-15 with two more free throws.  Mansfield's Brielle Kelly scored with 16 seconds left in the half to make it 37-17 at the break.
 
The deficit didn't change in the third quarter as the teams tied in total points 17-17, but Clarion expanded the gulf in the fourth quarter to seal the win.  Jen Straw made it 61-36 with 7:18 remaining, taking a feed from Pearyer and laying it in, and Jones-Carey finished off an and-one with 6:47 to make it a 28-point gap.  Pearyer expanded the lead to 30 points with a tip-In at the 4:07 mark, and the Golden Eagles cruised to the win.