ERIE, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team got off to a hot start and kept things even going into the second half, but the Golden Eagles lost a decision on the road to Gannon on Wednesday, falling 77-57 at the Hammermill Center.  Clarion falls to 7-16 overall and 7-10 in Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference play.
 
Tania Holmes recorded a team-high 16 points and tied for the team leads with seven rebounds and two steals.  Junior forward Jen Straw had a standout game coming off the bench, adding 15 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action.  Delrika Jones-Carey also broke double-digits in scoring with 10 points on the evening.
 
Clarion held a 25-20 lead after a high-scoring first quarter, but the Lady Knights responded and controlled action the rest of the way to take the double-digit win.  The Golden Eagles shot an impressive 45.2 percent from the field in the first half but struggled in the second, going just 7-of-28 in the last 20 minutes of play.
 
The first quarter went back and forth for the most part, but the Golden Eagles were the last ones to take the lead before the end of the period.  Holmes put Clarion ahead 7-5 on a fast break and scored on the next possession as well, draining a jumper in the paint with 7:59 left to go up by four.  Jordan Bekelja snapped a 17-all tie with 1:56 left in the period with a three-pointer and Holmes scored an old-fashioned three-point play in transition on the next possession to cap a 6-0 run. 
 
Straw kept it a six-point edge with a make at the 1:05 mark, making it 25-19, and the Golden Eagles carried a five-point advantage at the end of the first quarter.  The junior forward made it a 31-25 lead with 5:56 left in the second quarter on a free throw and kept it a two-possession game late in the period with a jumper at the 1:40 mark.  Gannon's Amanda Berchtold knocked down a jumper as time expired, though, and the Lady Knights tied the game at 35 entering the halftime break.
 
The Golden Eagles led by three after a make from Jones-Carey early in the third quarter, but it was all Lady Knights from there as Gannon went on a 15-0 run to take a 52-40 lead.  The lead briefly dipped back into the single digits later in the period but the Lady Knights tacked on late to claim the win.