CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team built an early lead against one of the top teams in the PSAC West, but the Golden Eagles were unable to carry the momentum in falling 75-65 to Seton Hill at Tippin Gymnasium on Saturday.  Clarion (7-14, 2-13 PSAC) will close a three-game homestand on Wednesday when they host Mercyhurst.
 
Amesha Harden-Pullium and Taylor Moltz each notched 14 points, while Yasmin Lewis tacked on nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.  Tracy Wiehe came off the bench for a dominant scoring performance, scoring a team-high 19 on 9-of-17 shooting from the field.  Wiehe also pulled down eight boards.
 
Clarion led by as many as 12 points as the Golden Eagles opened the game on a hot streak and took a 21-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter.  The defense stymied the Griffins in the first half, limiting them to just 31.4 percent from the field 7.1 percent from three-point range.  Seton Hill stabilized in the second half, though, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and limiting the Golden Eagle offense in turn.
 
The Golden Eagles started the game on a 7-0 run, with Harden-Pullium scoring the opening bucket just 17 seconds into the game and Moltz drilling a three-pointer at the 8:37 mark.  Lewis completed the run on the next trip down the floor, pulling down a defensive board and laying one in on the subsequent trip down the floor to force the Griffins into burning a timeout.  Moltz added another three-pointer at the 4:26 mark to open up at 15-5 lead, and Wiehe won a one-on-one battle in the paint with 2:23 remaining to give her team a 12-point edge in the first quarter.  Wiehe added another bucket with 42 seconds left to make it a 21-14 lead, but Seton Hill added two free throws late in the period to make it a two-possession ballgame entering the second quarter.
 
The lead didn't change hands until late in the second quarter as Clarion maintained it until the final moments of the half.  Jordan Bekelja scored on a drive at the 5:49 mark to give Clarion a 31-27 lead, cutting off a potential Griffins rally, and Tynita White later broke a 31-all tie with a free throw.  Seton Hill took a 33-32 lead on a Jenna Kaufman free throw but Wiehe responded with a make to put her team ahead with 56 seconds left.  Kaufman scored a bucket with three seconds remaining in the half, though, and the Griffins led 35-34 at the break.
 
Clarion briefly re-took the lead in the third quarter when Moltz knocked down a three-pointer just nine seconds into the half, and Marina Kelly put the Golden Eagles ahead 44-43 with a jumper at the 6:50 mark of the period.  Seton Hill responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Kaufman layup, and Kelly Weeks made it 60-51 with a three at the end of the period.  The Golden Eagles pulled to within six points late in the fourth quarter before Seton Hill closed out the win.