INDIANA, Pa. - Heading to Indiana for the final game of the season, the Clarion Golden Eagles fell to the IUP Crimson Hawks by a final score of 77-74. Lawrence Lemon and Mason Mraz both tallied double-doubles in the contest but the Crimson Hawk attack was too potent. 

Clarion started fast out of the gate, building a five point lead after a Gerald Jarmon three at the 15:53 mark. 

Taking advantage of some poor ball control from the Crimson Hawks, the Golden Eagles exploded for an 8-0 run building their lead to 23-12, thanks to layups from Jarmon, a three by Mekhi Reynolds and a good old fashioned three point sequence from Lawrence Lemon on the low post. 

Clarion held a double digit lead throughout most of the first half, taking a commanding 48-35 lead into the locker room at the half. 

The blue and gold shot a remarkable 58% from the field in the first half and an even more impressive 61% from beyond the arc. 

Jarmon led the scoring for Clarion in the first half scoring picking up 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting, while Lemon added 16 points in a perfect 6 of 6 shooting in the first half. 

The second half started much like the first half with Clarion getting off to a fast start against a talented Crimson Hawks squad. 

After a tip in layup from IUP, Mason Mraz added a three of his own to the stat sheet, burying a deep ball off an assist from Jarmon making the score 51-39 in favor of the blue and gold. 

Clarion pushed their lead to 15 points, their biggest of the second half, when Jarmon knocked down a layup to put the Golden Eagles up 56-41. 

Chipping away at the double digit lead the entire second half, the Crimson Hawks offense came alive with five minutes left to play in the half when a 12-2 run allowed IUP to regain the lead for the first time since the opening tip. 

After a missed layup and turnover, IUP's Dave Morris knocked down a layup to give the Crimson a two point advantage at 76-74. 

With :43 seconds remaining in the game, it looked like IUP would seal the victory forcing a turnover in the backcourt, but a missed three pointer gave Clarion the opportunity to still tie the game, but a foul under the hoop after a missed Clarion layup proved to be the nail in the coffin. 

The Crimson Hawks knocked down one free throw making the score 77-74, but still Clarion was threatening on the Crimson Hawks front porch. 

Kaison Branch had an opportunity to tie the game after a timeout advanced the ball to half court but the three rattled in and out of the hoop marking the final score of 77-74 in favor of the Crimson and Silver. 

Gerald Jarmon led all scorers with 27 total points, while Lawrence Lemon and Mason Mraz both notched double-doubles in the contest. Lemon finished with 22 points and 10 total rebound, while Mraz added 18 points and 11 rebounds in 389 minutes of action. 

Steve Kelly proved to be the main cog to the Clarion offense, dishing out eight assists, while adding three boards of his own. 

The loss moves Clarion to 4-7 overall on the year while the Crimson Hawks improve to a young 1-1 overall.