CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team ran into a buzz saw in the fifth-ranked team in the nation, as the Golden Eagles fell to the California (Pa.) Vulcans 72-38 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday night.  Clarion (12-8, 9-5 PSAC) will be back in action at home on Saturday when they host Pitt-Johnstown at Tippin Gymnasium.
 
The Golden Eagles hung tough with the Vulcans in the early going, keeping the game within five points at the end of the first quarter.  California slowly pulled away in the second quarter, though, and proceeded to control the action completely in the second half for the win.
 
Jen Straw scored a team-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and also pulled in eight rebounds in just 25 minutes of action.  She's started in each of the last two games and is averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in that span.  Amesha Harden-Pullium scored seven points, while Nicole Maxson and Delrika Jones-Carey each grabbed six rebounds.
 
Clarion won the rebounding battle 40-35 but struggled in giving up 17 offensive rebounds and 36 points in the paint.  They were effective at the free throw line, though, going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. 
 
The first quarter was the best for the Golden Eagles, who despite a cold shooting performance trailed just 13-8 after 10 minutes of action.  Tyra Polite cut the Vulcans' lead to just 8-5 with a three-pointer at the 3:55 mark of the quarter, and Harden-Pullium swished a trey with just 20 seconds remaining in the period to make it 13-8. 
 
California built up a 12-point lead with 4:18 remaining in the second quarter on a jumper by Precious Martin, but Harden-Pullium countered with a transition jumper to make it 23-13.  Polite briefly brought the lead back into single digits with a free throw at the 2:08 mark, but the Vulcans closed on a 7-0 run to hold a 30-14 lead at half.
 
The Vulcans outscored the Golden Eagles 27-12 in the third quarter to open up an even larger lead, and outpaced them 15-12 in the fourth to lock up the win.  Tynita White came in and provided solid minutes, though, scoring six points and pulling in three rebounds in just eight minutes of action.