CLARION, Pa. --- First-year head coach Jermaine Cooper earned his first career head coaching victory, and the Golden Eagle women's basketball team defeated Millersville 70-59 at Tippin Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
 
Clarion rode a big offensive wave in the fourth quarter to keep pace with the Marauders and build the double-digit win. They went shot for shot with Millersville in the last 10 minutes, shooting 7-of-12 (.583) from the field in that quarter while holding the Marauders to 6-of-18 (.333).
 
The Golden Eagles also displayed the ability to capitalize on turnovers. The forced the Marauders into 26 giveaways, limiting their opponent's possessions while also converting those into 15 points. Conversely, Millersville scored just eight points off Clarion turnovers.
 
Sierra Bermudez had what could fairly be called her best offensive game of the season, scoring a game-high 29 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 6-of-8 mark from three-point range and a 7-of-8 performance at the free throw line. A huge key to the win was bench play, though, as Charjae Brock ended up playing 36 minutes and going off for a double-double. Brock scored 15 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and also contributed three steals. Allyson Kirby also came off the bench for nine points, six rebounds and five steals.
 
Brock was not the only Golden Eagle with a double-double, though. Jada Smith turned things on late in the game, helping Clarion pull away as she warmed up from the floor. She posted 10 points and had a game-high 11 rebounds to lock up the win.
 
The game was tight through the first quarter, with Millersville leading by as many as five points in the opening 10 minutes. Brock cut that down to one point with two free throw makes in the waning seconds of the quarter, sparking what turned into a 6-0 run that bled into the second quarter. Bermudez made it a 22-18 lead with a three-pointer, and Ava Hadded made a short jumper at the 4:51 mark to up the lead to 26-20. Brock scored on back-to-back possessions late in the quarter to give Clarion a 30-21 advantage, and the Golden Eagles carried a two-possession lead into the halftime break.
 
Clarion took a double-digit lead for the first time midway through the third quarter, with Smith grabbing a defensive rebound and then scoring on the other end to make it 39-29. The Marauders made it a two-possession game early in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Eagles went on a 13-4 run to quash all hopes of a comeback. Bermudez made it a double-digit game with a three-pointer at the 5:48 mark, making it a 52-40 lead, and Smith followed that up with a midrange jumper 21 seconds later. Bermudez capped the rally at the 4:32 mark, taking a feed from Brock and drilling it from distance to give Clarion a 59-44 lead.
 
 
  Read Full Article