CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle women's basketball team gave one of the top teams in the PSAC everything they could handle for three quarters, but Gannon pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Clarion 71-58 in Tippin Gym.
 
Clarion controlled the action in the quarter and maintained their lead until well into the third, forcing the Golden Knights into a slew of turnovers and shooting well from the field. The first quarter in particular saw the best of the Golden Eagles, as Clarion kept Gannon to 33.3 percent from the field.
 
Cory Santoro scored a game-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, with four of those field goals coming from three-point range. Jada Smith added six points but pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Allyson Kirby scored 12 points, with 10 of those coming in the first quarter, while Sierra Bermudez finished with 10.
 
The Golden Eagles opened the game on an 8-4 run, with Cory Santoro knocking down a three-pointer at the 7:58 mark to cap the rally. The freshman guard added another on the fast break to make it a 12-7 advantage. The Golden Knights eventually seized the advantage themselves when Emma Wright swished a trey from the corner, but Allyson Kirby responded with a jumper at the elbow on the ensuing possession. She made it 17-13 with 2:53 left in the quarter when she took a kickout from Sierra Bermudez and knocked down a three, giving her 10 points in the opening quarter.
 
Santoro made it 19-15 at the end of the quarter, and Bermudez extended that lead to seven points with a zone-busting three from the right wing, thanks to a pass out of the high post from Jada Smith. Gannon cut that lead to 24-22 with 5:12 remaining in the half, though Santoro stemmed the bleeding with free throws that kept it a 27-24 lead. The Golden Knights eventually tied the score on a three from Wright, and Emily Poling gave Gannon their first lead since the first 16 seconds with a pull-up jumper at 29-27.
 
Bermudez put Clarion back on top with a three-pointer at the 2:51 mark, and Santoro added one of her own with two minutes in the half to make it a 33-29. Gannon embarked on a 5-0 run to gain the lead, but Bermudez put Clarion back on top 35-34 with a pair of free throws heading into the break.
 
The Golden Knights found their groove in the third quarter, taking a 46-44 lead on an and-one by Samantha Pirosko. Pirosko in fact scored six straight points to make it a 52-46 lead for the visitors, though a late layup by Santoro cut the deficit to 53-50 heading into the fourth quarter. Delaney Dogan increased the lead to three possessions with a trey from beyond the head of the key, and it eventually cracked double-digits before long. Clarion drew the lead back to single digits on a pair of free throw makes by Santoro, cutting it to 64-55, but the Golden Knights continued to keep Clarion at arm's length.
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