CLARION, Pa. – Buoyed by a huge effort in the third quarter that built their lead to double digits, the Clarion women's basketball team held off a fourth quarter surge to defeat Seton Hill 68-66 at Tippin Gym on Saturday afternoon.  The win snapped an eight game-losing streak for the Golden Eagles (4-17, 2-13 PSAC), who will head on the road for two games next week.
 
Playing with a shortened bench due to an injury suffered by Yndiah Bobo, the Golden Eagles gutted out the win against the Griffins with an exceptional defensive effort.  They held Seton Hill to just 27-of-77 (.351) from the field and only 6-of-26 (.231) from three-point range.  Clarion was also exceptionally efficient with the ball, committing just eight turnovers, and they won the turnover battle 53-51.  Two Golden Eagles finished with double-digit boards, with Jada Smith pulling down the game-high 13 caroms.
 
Ke'Airah Massiah scored a game-high 18 points, going 6-of-20 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line.  Emily Hegedus broke a string of single-digit scoring performances with her highest points total since December 3, scoring 14 total points, and Celeste Ryman added 12 points.
 
Clarion first took the lead with a 7-0 run in the first quarter, with Lewis scoring the go-ahead bucket at 6:45 and Massiah closing the run with a three-pointer off a feed from Ryman.  Hegedus expanded the lead to seven points with a layup that made it 17-10, and the advantage went as high as nine points in the first quarter as the Golden Eagles got stop after stop.  The Griffins pulled to within one point late in the second quarter but Haille Hart scored with 44 seconds remaining in the half, giving Clarion a 34-31 advantage heading into the locker room.
 
Hart did much of her damage in the second half, with the sophomore forward coming in to produce eight points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in just 13 total minutes of action.  The Golden Eagles came out hot in the third quarter and built their lead up to 11 points after a midrange jumper by Massiah, and Ryman kept it at that mark with a jumper to make it 48-37. 
 
The drama poured in during the fourth quarter as the Griffins started to rally, cutting it ot 58-57 at the 7:40 mark on a make by Madelyn Fischer.  Sydney Rabold later tied it at 61 with a midrange jumper, and Lexi Civittolo briefly put Seton Hill ahead as the game entered its final minutes.  Ryman put Clarion back on up 65-64 with a jumper and Massiah extended the lead to three points with just over two minutes remaining.  Katie Nolan pulled Seton Hill to within one point at the 1:55 mark but neither team scored from the field again, and Massiah hit a free throw with six seconds remaining to set the final score.