FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The Golden Eagle women's basketball team led at the halftime break, but Clarion could not fend off Concord in the final 20 minutes as the Mountain Lions picked up a 72-70 win in Fairmont on Sunday afternoon. Clarion (0-2) shot well from three-point range but the Mountain Cats picked it up in the second half to take the victory.
 
Three different Golden Eagles made three or more three-pointers in the contest, with freshman Cory Santoro tying for the game-high with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting – including a 5-of-10 day from beyond the arc. Sierra Bermudez chipped in 18 points with a 4-of-11 mark from three-point range, and Olivia Boocks posted 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including three treys on the afternoon.
 
Where Concord had the advantage was on the glass. The Mountain Lions out-rebounded Clarion 43-35 and out-scored them 20-11 in second-chance opportunities.
 
The Golden Eagles looked like they had things pretty well in hand early in the game, building a modest lead against the Mountain Lions and keeping that distance through more than three quarters of action. After Boocks and Bermudez hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to start the game, Clarion took a lead they would not relinquish until the 7:24 mark of the fourth quarter. Bermudez added another three midway through the first quarter to make it 14-6, and Jada Smith completed an and-one opportunity to make it 22-14. Bermudez hit one more three-pointer before the end of the first quarter, scoring as time expired to give the Golden Eagles a 25-16 lead.
 
The assault from distance was not done, as Allyson Kirby stepped beyond the arc for a three-pointer to make it 30-19 early in the second quarter. Santoro gave Clarion their largest lead of the game midway through the second, hitting a three to make it 37-22, but the Mountain Lions clawed their way back and cut the deficit to just nine points at the half. The tide turned in the third as Concord made it just a two-possession game after 30 minutes, and Maddie Ratcliff put them ahead with a jumper early in the fourth. Bermudez tied the game at 70 with a three-pointer at the 1:14 mark, but Jazz Blankenship scored what would be the game winner on a transition layup after stealing away the ball.