WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team went to overtime on the road on Sunday afternoon but could not erase their deficit early in the extra session, falling 71-67 to Winston-Salem State at the CE Gaines Center.
 
The teams were tied after 40 minutes of action, with Clarion owning a seven-point advantage at the end of the first half and the Rams evening things up before the final buzzer in regulation. Winston-Salem State actually took a seven-point lead themselves early in the second half, going up 45-38 after a dunk by Imajae Dodd, but the Golden Eagles battled back with a 14-2 run. Steve Kelly was the one to tie things up, making it 45-all with a drive and a layup at the 12:35 mark, and the senior point guard sparked a fast break bucket for Janye Stanely that made it a 52-47 Clarion lead near the halfway point of the second.
 
The Golden Eagles led by as many as eight points down the stretch, with Jaylen Shippen sinking a pair of free throws to make it 58-50 with 6:43 left in regulation. The Rams chipped away, tying the score at 64 with 92 seconds remaining on a pair of free throws from Jaylen Alston. Cam Kearney had an opportunity with the ball in his hands near the end of regulation but missed a shot late, and the Rams' Isaac Parson also missed a late shot to send the game to overtime.
 
Winston-Salem State opened the overtime period on a 5-0 run, and it was not until there was 1:53 remaining that Clarion got on the board with a three-pointer by Kearney. That drove the deficit down to 67-65, but Dodd made it a two-possession game with a transition bucket and the Rams kept the Golden Eagles off the board the rest of the way.
 
Jahmari Hamilton-Brown had a big day off the bench, scoring a team-high 15 points in 26 minutes of action. Stanley also excelled off the bench, chipping in 12 points in 20 minutes. Kelly added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
The game was tight in the opening five minutes until an 8-2 run by the Golden Eagles gave them the advantage. Stanley made a three-pointer to give his team a 14-12 lead with a trey at the 12:08 mark, and Hamilton-Brown added one on the next trip down the floor to make it a five-point game. The lead got as high as 11 points after Shippen stole the ball from Parson, setting up a fast break make from Justice Easter that made it 35-24. Kelly sank a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining in the half to give his team a 38-31 advantage heading into the break.
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