CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles women's basketball team built a double-digit lead in the first half and then held off a furious third quarter charge from Millersville, as Clarion improved to 9-2 overall and 4-1 in PSAC action with a 61-53 win over the Marauders in Tippin Gym. The defensive battle between the two teams loosened in the second half as the Golden Eagles weathered the storm for the victory.
 
Buckets were hard to come by for both teams, with neither side making more than 19 field goals over the course of the 40-minute game. Clarion shot just 31.1 percent from the field and the Marauders were not much better, finishing with a 31.6 field goal percentage.
 
The difference came in the margins, with the Golden Eagles' slight edge in a couple of areas leading to the win. Despite the fact the teams were just three offensive rebounds apart, Clarion used theirs to better effect, outscoring the Marauders 14-7 in second chance opportunities. The Golden Eagles were also slightly better from three-point range, making six long balls compared to three for Millersville, and Clarion was also a hair more effective from the free throw line, making 17 of their 23 attempts while the Marauders went 14 of 22.
 
That last advantage played an important role as the game went on. Both teams got into various degrees of foul trouble, with the Golden Eagles hit the hardest in the first quarter. The Marauders drew nine fouls and went to the free throw line 14 times in the first quarter alone, compared to just four foul shots for Clarion. The Golden Eagles turned the tables as the game went on, earning 19 trips to the line and converting 15 of them in the final three quarters, while Millersville shot just eight free throws the rest of the way.
 
Autumn Taylor led all scorers with 21 points, including a 4-of-12 mark from three-point range and a 7-of-8 performance at the free throw line. Arianna Seitz was the only other Clarion player in double-digits, scoring 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting. Tearra Cook proved valuable in the post, scoring seven points and pulling down a team-high seven rebounds in a physical effort.
 
Clarion survived the early storm from the Marauders to great effect, keeping things close despite Millersville's penchant for drawing fouls. Taylor gave the Golden Eagles a lead with 1:42 left in the first quarter, making a pull-up three off a pass from DayLynn Thornton. Meanwhile the defense did an outstanding job bothering the Millersville shooters, holding them without a field goal from the 3:58 mark of the first quarter until Makiah Shaw's bucket nine minutes of game time later. Shaw entered the game as Millersville's leading scorer but the Golden Eagles effectively neutralized her as well, limiting her to two points on nine shot attempts.
 
Claire Noble gave the Golden Eagles a 25-15 lead midway through the second quarter and there it remained through the end of the half, with Clarion leading 31-21 halfway through the game. Millersville stymied the Golden Eagles' offense in the third quarter, limiting them to 11 points and an 18.8 field goal percentage in the period that allowed the Marauders back into the game. Morgan Mahoney scored with 39 seconds left in the third to pull Millersville to within one point, but Thornton responded with a midrange jumper 17 seconds later to stem the bleeding. Clarion did not permit Millersville to come any closer the rest of the way.
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