CLARION, Pa. --- A dynamic second quarter effort by the Golden Eagles brought the game back in reach, but Clarion could not sustain the momentum they generated at the end of the first half in falling 88-72 to Seton Hill at Tippin Gym on Saturday afternoon.
 
The teams traded stout defensive efforts in the first half, with the Griffins giving the Golden Eagle offense fits in the first quarter and Clarion doing likewise to Seton Hill in the second. The Golden Eagles held the Griffins without a field goal for more than 10 minutes of game action, with Hallie Cowan's three-pointer 27 seconds into the second quarter that team's only make from the floor until Corinne Eisner's layup at the 9:18 mark of the third. Clarion outscored Seton Hill 23-9 in the second quarter as they turned a 28-16 deficit into a 39-37 halftime lead.
 
Turnovers played a major part of that turnaround, as the Golden Eagles forced eight turnovers in the second quarter while committing just two themselves. In addition, DayLynn Thornton scored nine of her career-high 22 points in the second quarter, including a stretch midway through where she contributed seven consecutive points. After making a pair of free throws to cut Seton Hill's lead to 31-26, Thornton scored on the next possession as well, making a midrange jumper to make it a three-point game. She added two more free throws at the 5:28 mark to pull the team to within one point, and Thornton tied the score with another free throw at 5:01.
 
Malayziah Etheredge tied the game at 33 with a layup, and Sadre'a Rougeau put Clarion ahead for the first time with a jumper from in close, making it 35-33. The lead went at high as six points after Abby Gatesman dished to Siara Conley with less than a minute to play, with Conley scoring to make it 39-33. The Golden Eagles led 39-37 at the halftime break but Seton Hill responded with a run of their own, going on a 14-2 rally that spanned from the second quarter into the third. Thornton cut the lead to 47-43 with a pair of free throws but Clarion didn't score again until the 3:21 mark of the third, when Alyssa McLellon hit a short jumper to pull it within 52-45.
 
Seton Hill scored 10 of the final 13 points of the third quarter to extend their lead into double-digits, and it stayed that way for the remainder as the Griffins took the win.
 
Thornton finished with a career-high 22 points, going 5-of-8 from the field and 12-of-16 from the free throw line. Autumn Taylor contributed 15 points, with all of those coming off five made three-pointers, and Etheredge came off the bench for 14 points and five rebounds. Taylor pulled down a team-high seven boards.