CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle women's basketball team played stifling defense to complement a number of strong individual performances, defeating Mercyhurst 72-55 in Tippin Gym on Monday night. Clarion limited the Lakers to under 40 percent shooting from the field.

 

Jada Smith posted her fourth double-double overall and second in as many games, leading Clarion with 17 points while pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. She was one of four Golden Eagles to crack double-digits in scoring. Allyson Kirby finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, while also pulling down seven rebounds.  Sierra Bermudez and Cory Santoro had 12 apiece. Olivia Boocks came off the bench and provided a clutch performance, finishing with eight points and six rebounds.

 

The Golden Eagles got off to a fast start, with Jada Smith making a trey on the team's first possession and Cory Santoro hitting a pull-up jumper at the elbow to make it 5-0. Likewise, they kept the Lakers off the scoreboard for better than two minutes, with Grace Centrulla finally breaking the drought at the 7:38 mark. Smith scored seven of Clarion's first nine points, adding in a driving layup to make it a 9-4 advantage.

 

Santoro drove the Golden Eagles' edge to 16-8, taking a feed from Allyson Kirby and draining a three from the right corner with 4:25 left in the first. Sierra Bermudez added one from the right wing on the next possession to make it a double-digit lead and prompt the Lakers to burn a timeout. Kirby drove it at the 1:49 mark to make it 21-8, and the Golden Eagles led by nine entering the first break of the night.

 

The Lakers responded with seven of the first nine points in the second quarter, but Santoro stopped the rush with a three-pointer thanks to an offensive board and assist from Smith. Olivia Boocks kept it a three-possession game with a three from the left corner that made it 32-25, and Kirby drilled one from deep on a late shot clock to make it 35-27. The Golden Eagles ultimately carried a 37-31 lead into the halftime break.

 

Mercyhurst once again opened a period on a run, scoring 10 of the first 14 in the second half to pull within two points. Clarion responded with a 6-0 run of their own, with Kirby and Emily Hegedus scoring on consecutive possessions to bump the lead to 49-41. That prompted another timeout by the Lakers, but the Golden Eagles responded with inspired defense. All told, Clarion kept Mercyhurst off the scoreboard for the final 4:40 of the third quarter.

 

The Lakers scored on a pair of free throws early in the fourth, but Mercyhurst's field goal drought lasted nearly another five minutes as the Golden Eagles kept them at bay. Boocks extended Clarion's run to 9-2 with a three from the corner, making it 52-43, and Bermudez hit a deep shot in front of her own bench to run it up to 56-43. Meanwhile, the Lakers did not break their field goal drought until there was 5:07 left in regulation, having gone 9:33 without a make from the field.

 

Clarion maintained their advantage from there, sinking free throws down the stretch to keep the Lakers at arm's length. Boocks made a pair to make it 62-50 with 2:34 left, and the Golden Eagles continued to tack on in support of the win.

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