ERIE, Pa. – The Golden Eagle women's basketball team had a pair of strong periods bookending their afternoon, but they were unable to overcome the ground given in the middle quarters in falling 72-65 to Mercyhurst on Saturday.  Clarion returns home on Wednesday to host Edinboro in a special Breast Cancer Awareness game on Feb. 12.
 
Three Golden Eagles tied for the team-high in scoring, with Celeste Ryman, Ke'Airah Massiah and Yasmin Lewis all adding 19 points apiece.  Lewis also led Clarion with a game-high 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
 
As a team, Clarion shot 22-of-53 (.415) from the field and were very good from the free throw line, finishing the game 20-of-26.  However, the Golden Eagles shot just 1-of-12 from three-point range, which led in part to some offensive troubles.
 
Clarion opened the game on a 12-4 run, putting the Lakers back on their heels with a number of quick strikes.  They scored the first six points of the contest and eventually made it a 10-2 lead on a fast break jumper by Ryman, who scored after Jada Smith blocked Amber Renz's shot on the other end.  Lewis finished off the run with a jumper at the 5:52 mark, and the Golden Eagles eventually extended the lead to 10 points on two free throws by Ryman.  Clarion held a five point lead at the end of the first quarter, taking a 20-15 advantage in the final minute on a jumper by Lewis.
 
The Lakers did their damage in the second and third quarters, though, outscoring Clarion 42-22 in those periods to take a 57-42 lead heading in the final frame.  The Golden Eagles chipped away, cutting the lead to 11 points on two free throws by Ryman, and back down to 10 points on foul shots by Massiah.  Mercyhurst increased the lead to 15 points by Ryman eventually drove it to single digits by finishing off an and-one with just over a minute to go.  It never got closer than two possessions, though, as the Lakers finished off the win.