CLARION, Pa. - The Clarion women's basketball squad dropped a 62-56 decision to the visiting Bloomsburg Huskies on Wednesday, in a game filled with bursts of scoring, long scoreless stretches, and exciting comebacks. Clarion fought back from an 11-point first quarter deficit, but came up just short of making up another 11-point deficit in the final quarter. With the loss, Clarion drops to 3-15 and 1-11 in the PSAC West. Bloomsburg improves to 8-8 and 5-7 in the PSAC West.
 
The Huskies started out on an explosive 11-0 run in the first four minutes of the contest, scoring most of their points on driving layups while frustrating the Clarion offense.  The Golden Eagles rallied to tie the game at 11 at the end of the first quarter with a furious charge of their own, with Yasmin Lewis scoring six straight points for Clarion.  They also used a tenacious full-court press to force several Bloomsburg turnovers in the opening stanza.
 
After a Lewis layup put Clarion ahead by two around the 5:00 mark of the second quarter, Bloomsburg finished the quarter on an 11-2 run and led 31-23 at halftime.
 
Lewis led the Golden Eagles at the half with ten points and eight rebounds, with Ke'Airah Massiah adding six points. Bloomsburg had four players with five or more points at the break. Meghan Corridoni just missed out on a first half double-double with eight points and ten rebounds, while Gochnauer put in seven points.
 
The beginning of the third quarter had back-and-forth action, and tight defense by both teams limited the number of scoring opportunities. However, Bloomsburg's depth began to assert itself in the back half of the third quarter. The Huskies' bench scored six consecutive points in an 11-4 run to conclude the period, putting Bloomsburg ahead 48-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Bloomsburg was able to maintain their double-digit lead until a small Clarion run sparked by Emily Hegedus and Massiah pulled the Golden Eagles within ten with 2:30 remaining in the game. Bloomsburg looked to be in control late with a nine-point lead and 40 seconds remaining, but a Massiah three-pointer, two missed Bloomsburg free throws, and a two-for-two trip to the line for Hegedus quickly cut the lead to four. Clarion had a chance to cut the lead to two when Yndiah Bobo stole the subsequent inbounds pass, but she was unable to convert on a layup attempt. Despite two more missed free throws by the Huskies, Clarion could not manufacture any more chances, eventually falling by a 62-56 score line.
 
 
Yasmin Lewis provided a dominant performance for the Golden Eagles, scoring 16 points and ripping down 14 boards for her third double-double of the season. Ke'Airah Massiah led all scorers with 18 points, and Emily Hegedus scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.
 
For the Huskies, Corridoni finished with a 12 point, 12 rebound double-double, while Saxton led Bloomsburg with 15 points.
 
The Golden Eagle women will travel to IUP next on January 25^th, with the PSAC matchup due for a 5:30 tipoff.