CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team clamped down defensively in the second half, coming back from an early deficit to defeat Ohio Valley 71-63 at Tippin Gymnasium on Tuesday night.  The Golden Eagles (3-3, 0-2 PSAC) evened their overall record as a result as they venture back into non-conference play this weekend.
 
Clarion trailed by as many as eight points in the first half and by three at halftime, but they outscored the Fighting Scots 40-29 in the second half largely in part to improved defense.  The Golden Eagles forced Ohio Valley into 10 turnovers in the final 20 minutes after doing so just four times in the first half, and ultimately outscored their opponent 21-6 in points off turnovers.
 
The moment when the Golden Eagles jumped right back into the thick of the game was at the start of the third quarter, when they opened on a 10-2 run to take a 41-36 lead.  Taylor Moltz first tied the score with a three-pointer to open the proceedings, and then punctuated the rally with a trey at the 7:28 mark to give her team the five-point advantage.  Moltz was one of five Golden Eagles to score in double-digits, finishing the game with 12 points.
 
Jordan Bekelja led all players with 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 night at the free throw line.  She did the majority of her damage in the second half, scoring 14 points in the final 20 minutes and sinking a number of key free throws down the stretch.
 
Ohio Valley retook the lead with 17 seconds left to go in the third quarter, going up 53-51 after a three-pointer by Amiaya Melvins, though Yndiah Bobo tied it up with two free throws in the waning seconds of the period.  The Fighting Scots led by as many as four points in the fourth quarter, going up 57-53 just 92 seconds into the frame, but Bobo scored in the paint to cut it to two, and Bekelja drained a three-pointer at the 7:24 mark to put Clarion back ahead 58-57.
 
Tynita White hit the final go-ahead basket of the game with 4:39 left, making a midrange jumper to make it 60-59, and Amesha Harden-Pullium knocked down a three with less than three minutes to go to make it a two-possession game.  Harden-Pullium scored with 1:23 to go to make it 65-61, and Bekelja sank six free throws in the final 38 seconds to secure the win.