CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles men's basketball team weathered the storm of a motivated Penn State – DuBois squad in the first half, turning a close game into a runaway in the early part of the second as Clarion beat the Nittany Lions 96-77 in Tippin Gym. The win capped a successful pre-Thanksgiving period for the Golden Eagles, who are now 7-1 overall and 2-0 in PSAC play.
The Nittany Lions gave the Golden Eagles everything they wanted and then some in the first half, making seven three-pointers in the first 20 minutes and leading for more than 11 minutes of action in the first half. Defensively their pressure was effective in slowing the Golden Eagle offense at times, though Clarion was still able to secure open looks on the back end when they were able to break the press.
Clarion appeared to unlock things at the end of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half, turning a slim two-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage in the blink of an eye. Jordin Summers' three-pointer at the 1:21 mark of the first half was the last made field goal for the Nittany Lions until Ashton Fortson's layup at the 14:39 mark of the second, a span of 7:42 on the game clock. The Golden Eagle offense was doing some pressuring of their own in that span, outscoring the Nittany Lions 24-5 in that span and taking total control of the game.
The Golden Eagles had a significant edge in points scored in the paint, as they regularly found themselves in one-on-one situations under the hoop.
Cam Kearney scored a game-high 28 points, going 12-of-16 from the field with all of his shots coming inside the three-point arc.
Traden Gray was just behind him, with the big man scoring 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. He also chipped in a pair of three-pointers.
Gavin Cote filled the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Sommers' three-pointer late in the first half gave the Nittany Lions a 37-34 lead, but that would be their last advantage of the night. Kearney put back his own miss at the 32-second mark to cut the deficit to one point, and he added a pair of free throws before halftime to put Clarion up 39-37 heading into the locker room. Kearney fed
Josiah Dow for a bucket early in the second half and scored himself on the next possession, making it 43-37. He scored in transition at the 18:08 to push the lead over double-digits for the first time, making it 48-37.
The most exciting moment of the night came with under seven minutes to play in regulation.
Gavin Cote's three-point shot was just off the mark but
Justice Easter soared in for a thunderous tip dunk, reaching back one with one hand and putting it down to give the Golden Eagles an 87-60 lead. The Nittany Lions got the lead down to as low as 16 points with under two minutes to play, but Clarion cruised to the victory.
