Box Score CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle women's basketball team took an early lead over Mansfield in the second quarter, but the Mounties rallied back to defeat Clarion 75-65 in Tippin Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon. Clarion (2-8, 1-4 PSAC) started the game hot from the field but cooled off as the Mounties warmed up, with the latter pulling away in the fourth quarter.
 
In the first quarter, it seemed like the Golden Eagles were ready to run away with things over the Mounties. Clarion opened up double-digit lead with 43 seconds remaining in the period. Sierra Bermudez sank a pair of free throws to make it 15-8, and Alyssa McLellon drilled three-pointers on consecutive offensive possessions to make it a 21-11 advantage. Bermudez made a jumper in the paint with 11 ticks left in the first quarter to make it a 23-14 lead, and McLellon eventually extended the lead to its zenith at the 6:22 mark of the second quarter. Taking a feed from Abby Gatesman, McLellon nailed her third trey of the game, making it 28-16.
 
Mansfield recovered, locking down the Golden Eagles on defense and holding them to just five points for the rest of the first half. Jasmine Hilton made a layup as time expired in the second quarter to give the Mounties an improbable lead, making it 34-33. Clarion briefly re-took the lead at the 8:08 mark of the third, when Bermudez drained a three-pointer, and the freshman guard made it a 38-36 lead with 6:19 left in the third. The Mounties responded with a 10-0 run to take a 46-38 lead, though Olivia Boocks, Neely Whitehead and Bermudez cut that deficit to just one point with three-pointers on three consecutive possessions down the stretch.
 
Whitehead made another three-pointer with 7:14 left in regulation to put Clarion ahead 55-52, and even tied the score at 60 with a trey with 4:10 remaining. It would be the last time the game was tied, though, as Mansfield outscored Clarion 15-5 for the remainder for the win.
 
Bermudez scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting, while also pulling down a team-high five rebounds and tying for the team lead with four assists. Whitehead finished with 15 points in just 14 minutes of action, going 5-of-8 from three-point range, while McLellon scored a season- and career-high 11 points.