ERIE, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle women's basketball team started the game with an effective defensive effort on the road, but Clarion was unable to keep pace on offense in the third quarter in falling 63-55 to Mercyhurst on Monday night.
 
Clarion was able to stymie the Lakers early in the game, limiting Mercyhurst to an 11-of-31 (.355) field goal percentage in the first half, including a 4-of-14 mark from beyond the three-point arc. That enable the Golden Eagles to keep things close in the opening 20 minutes, as they trailed the Lakers 29-26 before heading into the locker room at the halftime break.
 
The difference came in the third quarter, when the Lakers shot roughly 44 percent from the floor and held the Golden Eagles to just a 3-of-16 (.188) performance. They outscored Clarion 19-9 in that period, building a double-digit lead that allowed them to finish off the win. The Golden Eagles did manage to pull the deficit to single-digits before the final buzzer, scoring with 13 seconds remaining to make it 63-55.
 
DayLynn Thornton tied for the game-high 15 points, going 6-of-8 from the field, and also pulled down five rebounds. Siara Conley logged 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Autumn Taylor posted 10 points, six rebounds and an assist.
 
The Golden Eagles got off to a good start, leading the Lakers late in the first quarter thanks to stout defense and some timely shooting on offense. Heather Ansell put the team ahead 5-3 on a three-pointer at the 4:38 mark of the quarter, and on the very next offensive possession she assisted on Sadre'a Rougeau's three-pointer that capped an 8-3 run. The score was still 10-7 in Clarion's favor after Taylor sank a pair of free throws with 90 seconds to go in the period, but Mercyhurst scored four straight and seven of the next nine points to take a 14-12 lead.
 
Conley stopped the Lakers' run with a jumper to start the second quarter, and Autumn Taylor had her team ahead 25-22 with 4:15 left in the first half when she made a three-pointer. Mercyhurst responded with a 7-1 run to close out the period, taking a 29-26 advantage into the half. They proceeded to come out strong in the third quarter, outscoring the Golden Eagles 19-9 to open up a double-digit lead.
 
Paige Woodford put the Lakers ahead 50-35 early in the fourth, but a 7-0 Clarion run put the Golden Eagles back into the game. Abby Gatesman got things rolling with a three-pointer and Conley was the one to bring the deficit to eight points, scoring on a layup with 6:33 to go. Mercyhurst was able to more or less maintain their lead from that point, though Thornton scored with 13 seconds left to set the final deficit.