CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle women's basketball team embarked on a late drive in the second half, but Seton Hill held off Clarion (2-11, 1-7 PSAC) as the latter fell by a 68-59 score in Tippin Gymnasium. Clarion outscored the Griffins in the fourth quarter but could not close the gap all the way in the final minutes of action.
 
A combination of a tough defensive effort and an improved offensive attack allowed the Golden Eagles to outscore Seton Hill 21-14 in the fourth quarter, with much of that coming in the last few minutes of action. Seton Hill led by as many as 20 points with 2:37 to play, but three-pointers on three consecutive possessions – by Cory Santoro, Sierra Bermudez and Allyson Kirby, respectively – cut the deficit to 11 points in 1:15 of game action. Bermudez then forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, swiping the ball from Maria Brush and taking it coast-to-coast for a layup that crew Clarion to within nine points and forced the Griffins to burn two timeouts.
 
It looked like they may pull even closer less than five seconds later. Brush again turned the ball over, this time with Kirby taking possession of the ball. Kirby drew a foul and later got an open three-pointer opportunity, but Brush came away with the rebound and the Golden Eagles were forced to foul. That quashed the comeback attempt as the Griffins held Clarion scoreless the rest of the way.
 
Santoro finished with a game-high 24 points, going 10-of-22 from the field and 4-of-11 from three-point range. It marked the fourth straight double-digit scoring game for Santoro and tied her season-high in scoring set just two games ago, against Slippery Rock on Jan. 8. Bermudez scored 13 points and recorded seven rebounds, while Kirby came off the bench for 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Griffins opened the game on an 11-2 run but Clarion quickly recovered with eight straight points of their own. Santoro added five of those points, starting with a trey from the wing, and Kirby made a three-pointer from the corner to make it 11-10. Abby Gatesman scored in the paint in the waning seconds of the first quarter to cut things to 15-14. Their lead expanded to double-digits in the second quarter, and hit 16 at the end of the third after Katie Nolan's three-pointer.