CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion women's basketball team had a number of chances to tie or score the go-ahead bucket late, but they were unable to get the bounce they needed as the Golden Eagles fell 50-48 to Gannon on Wednesday night.
Yasmin Lewis scored a go-ahead bucket with 38 seconds remaining, slashing to the hoop and converting a bounce pass from
Kadijah Dickson for a layup that made it a 48-47 Clarion advantage. Chelsea Rourke made a pair of free throws to put the Golden Knights ahead by one with 28 seconds left, and Gannon held on for the win with a pair of late stops. Rourke added another tally at the foul line to make it a two-point game with 19 seconds left in regulation, and the Golden Eagles came up just short as a pair of tip-in attempts caromed off the rim.
Dickson's midrange jumper was locked in as the junior guard went 8-of-17 from the field for a game-high 21 points to go with four rebounds and three steals.
Jordan Bekelja pace in the takeaway category with six steals on the night, setting the tone for a Clarion defense that forced 20 turnovers and held the Golden Knights to just eight points in the second quarter. Lewis finished with 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Neither team shot well from three-point range as they shot a combined 2-of-20 from the long line, with each team making just one trey each. Gannon enjoyed the advantage at the foul line with an 11-of-17 performance, while Clarion shot just 10 free throws all night.
The first quarter was evenly matched as Clarion bounced back from a 9-4 deficit to take a 10-9 lead on a layup from
Yndiah Bobo. Boston McKinney upped the Gannon lead to four points with 18 seconds remaining, but Bobo finished an and-one with six seconds left in the first quarter to make it a one-point game at the break.
The big Golden Eagle run came in the second quarter as Clarion outscored Gannon 16-8, starting with Dickson's jumper from the head of the key at the 6:22 mark to make it 18-16. The Golden Eagles held the Knights without a field goal from the 5:27 mark until there was just 1:40 remaining in the period, opening up a two-possession lead in the process. Dickson scored with 6.9 seconds remaining in the first half to put Clarion up 29-22 at the halftime break. They increased the lead to as many as nine points in the third quarter, but Gannon pulled to within 42-37 through 30 minutes of action.
Nicole LaCava scored with 1:48 left in the fourth to put Gannon up by one, but Lewis countered with a make of her own to set up the endgame.
