CLARION, Pa. - The Clarion men's basketball team played host to the Mercyhurst Lakers Saturday afternoon, falling 71-61. The loss moves the Golden Eagles to 9-11 on the year, while the Lakers improve to 19-4 overall. 

Jarmon scored a game high 17 points, while Lemon added 12 points and Mraz added nine. Agyemang finished just one basket shy of a double-double, but had another double digit night on the glass, grabbing a team high 11 rebounds, while adding eight points in 27 minutes of action. 

Mercyhurst jumped out to an early 3-0 lead to start the game, but Lawrence Lemon tied the game at the 18:07 mark, knocking down a layup and converting the and one free throw to tie things at 3-3. 

The Golden Eagles took the lead for the first time on the next possession after Gerald Jarmon sank an elbow jumper to put Clarion ahead, after forcing a turnover on the next Mercyhurst possession but failing to capitalize, Clarion found themselves down 9-5 after a pair of three pointers from the Lakers. 

After making a jumper from the left elbow, Mekhi Reynolds picked up his first personal foul, sending Clarion to the first media timeout trailing 11-7. Out of the timeout, the Lakers forced a Clarion turnover and made it hurt, making an easy jumper to push their lead to 13-7 with 14:28 left to play in the first half. 

After an impressive defensive effort from Connor Ferrell, forcing a Mercyhurst turnover, Ferrell got on the scorecard with a three pointer from the right wing to pull Clarion back within striking distance at 13-10, but after Jeff Planutis matched Ferrell with a three of his own, Clarion was back down two possessions 16-10. 

Nicholas Lang fouled Ferrell on a three point shot, not allowing Ferrell to completely land while closing out on defense and after Ferrell made one of three from the charity stripe Clarion was trailing by just five points with 11:37 left to play in the first frame.

The Lakers started to slowly build their lead, forcing turnovers on the defensive end of the floor and scoring points back in transition on the offensive end of the court. With just under ten minutes left to play before the half, the Lakers built a double digit lead, 26-13, forcing head coach Damian Pitts to take a quick 30 second timeout to regroup his unit. 

Mason Mraz stopped the scoring drought as he made a three pointer on the right side of the floor off of a dribble, drive and dish from point guard Steve Kelly, making the score 26-16.. Just like multiple times throughout the half, the Lakers immediately matched Clarion's long distance shot with a three pointer of their own as they built their lead back to 13 points with just over eight minutes left to play. 

With just 3:58 left to play in the first half, the Golden Eagles trailed by 18 points as the Lakers continued their stingy defense and hot shooting. Jarmon went to the line out of the media timeout, shooting a one and one from the free throw line, knocking down both shots to make the score 40-24.

Clarion jumped into a full court press after the made free throw, pressuring the Mercyhurst attack and forced a turnover on the other end of the floor, but couldn't use the opportunity to score points. 

With just over two minutes left to play Maercyhurst stretched their lead to their biggest of the half, 20 points, leading 44-24 after a good layup from MiyKah McIntosh. 

Forcing a turnover on the very next possession, the Lakers grew their lead to 46-24, before a pair of free throws from Jarmon brought the score to 46-26. After a Clarion miss, Mercyhurst's Steve CAnnady grabbed a rebound with two seconds left to play and raced down the court, burying a three pointer as time expired to give the visiting team a 49-26 lead heading into the locker room. 

For Clarion, Reynolds and Jarmon lead the way for the Golden Eagles as both guards had six points at the half, while Lemon added five points and Ferrell added four. Jordan Agyemang had a team high four rebounds, as the Blue and Gold shot just 38% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. 

From Mercyhurst they shot an impressive 61% from the field and 62% from three point land on the back of 14 first half points from Planutis and 13 points from Cannady. 

In the second half, it was Clarion that found their footing on offense, as Jarmon, Reynolds and Ferrell started to find their rhythm, settling in, combining for 9 of 11 of Clarion's points to start the second frame. Heading to the first media timeout with 11:51 left to play, the Lakers held a commanding 63-38 lead, but the Blue and Gold continued to claw their way back. 

Agyemang went one for two from the charity stripe making the score 63-39 with 11:34 left to play, and after a stand up defensive stand from Clarion, Jarmon added his 12th and 13th points of the game, hitting a foul line jumper to make the score 63-41.

Ferrell forced a turnover, raced down the floor and found Jarmon who was fouled hard by Planutis, and after two shots from the charity stripe, Clarion trailed 65-43 with just 9:29 left to play in the game. 

Mraz knocked down a three pointer with a defender's hand in his face at the 8:35 mark to put Clarion down just 66-46 and after a miss from the Lakers, Mraz found Agyemang who was fouled and knocked down one of two free throws to make the score 66-47 with 6:47 left to go in regulation. 

Lemon found a miss-match on the floor, rocking his defender to sleep and driving left, beating Lang, making the score 67-49, as Clarion continued to slowly chip away at the Laker lead. Agyemang grabbed a rebound on a Mercyhurst miss and found Lemon on the other end of the floor who forced a foul as Clarion pulled closed with the score just 67-50 with 5:34 left to play. 

Scoring their points almost strictly from inside the paint, Agyemang was fouled and added two free throws making the score 67-52 as the Laker attack seamlessly went cold on the other end of the floor, After a basket from the Lakers a the 4:38 mark, Jarmon scored on a pull up jumper on his signature hesitate and go step back shot.

Both Clarion and Mercyhurst traded baskets and with just over two minutes left to play, Mercyhurst held the advantage at 71-54. 

Kaison Branch found Mraz at the top of the key as Mraz knocked down an uncontested three pointer to make the score 71-57 and after a Mercyhurst miss, the Golden Eagles were back on the attack. Lemon grabbed a rebound and took the ball coast to coast, making a heavily contested layup as the score sat at 71-59 with just under one minute left to play in regulation. 

Clarion jumped back into their full court defensive press and forced a turnover, but couldn't capitalize, as a foul from Agyemang stopped the clock with 32 seconds left to play in the game.

A Mercyhurst foul on Agyemang with just 18 seconds left allowed Clarion to pull back within 10 points, but that's all the closer they would get as the Lakers dribbled the time out to end the game. 

Clarion will look to quickly rebound as they get set to host Edinboro on February 7th. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm from Tippin Gym.