CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle women's basketball team took on a nationally-ranked foe at home on Monday night, with Clarion falling to #25/14 Gannon by a 71-46 score in Tippin Gymnasium.
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The Golden Knights entered the game as one of the top teams in the country, and they lived up to their billing by putting on a strong effort against Clarion. The Golden Eagles struggled to warm up from the floor, shooting just 34.6 percent from the field. That included a 53.3 percent performance in the second quarter, which was undoubtedly the best ten-minute stretch of the night for Clarion.
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Allyson Kirby came off the bench to lead all Clarion players with 11 points, doing so in just 22 minutes of action.
Ava Haddad recorded nine points, five rebounds, and three steals, contributing her part in a night where the Golden Eagles forced 19 Gannon turnovers. The biggest differences in the game were second-chance points, where the Golden Knights held an 18-5 advantage, and Gannon's 30-18 edge in points in the paint.
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Gannon built an 11-point lead after one quarter of action, but Clarion responded with their best effort of the night in the second. Kirby drove that lead down to eight points at the 8:45 mark of the second quarter, hitting a three-pointer after Haddad pulled down an offensive rebound and dished it out to her. The lead creeped back up toward 15 points but the Golden Eagles drove it down again, this time with an and-one make by
Jada Smith and a three-pointer by
Sierra Bermudez that made it 29-21.
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The Golden Knights stabilized, though, and took a 39-25 lead with just over a minute remaining in the half. Kirby drained another three-pointer, this one from the corner on a pass from Bermudez, and it was just an 11-point game at the break. The lead remained around that mark for much of the third quarter, with Delaney Dogan sinking a shot with 21 seconds left in the period to up Gannon's lead to 54-39. The Golden Knights controlled the fourth quarter throughout, outscoring Clarion 17-7 to finish the game.
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