CLARION, Pa.--- The Clarion women's basketball dropped a hard-fought battle against Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday night, falling by a score of 67-55 to close a three-game homestand. The game went back and forth for much of the evening, featuring nine different lead changes, but a big third quarter for the Mountain Cats served as the difference.
In the first quarter, Siara Conley got the scoring started for the Golden Eagles with four of the team's first six points, including a contested layup after picking up an offensive rebound. The three-point shot was huge in the first quarter for Clarion as the Golden Eagles hit three of their six attempts, including one in the waning moments of the opening quarter. Sadre'a Rougeau nailed a transition jumper off an Alyssa McLellon steal with 1:26 to go in the quarter, briefly putting her team ahead 17-14 before the Mountain Cats countered with four straight points.
Rougeau finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points off the bench in 30 minutes of action.
Pitt-Johnstown extended the early second-quarter lead to six, but the Golden Eagles responded with a Heather Ansell three-point basket to make it 24-21. Rougeau picked Riley Childress' pocket and tossed a pass to Taylor, with the latter scoring to bring the Golden Eagle deficit to one point. Autumn Taylor later tied the game at 26 with a three-point basket at the 4:29 mark, and Ansell hit her second trey of the quarter to give the Golden Eagles a halftime lead.
The Golden Eagles shot 37.5 percent from the field in the first half, but the three-point shot was the big equalizer, with Clarion hitting 6-of-14 from deep in the first half.
The Clarion offense that had been scoring at an efficient pace would evaporate in the second half, and the Mountain Cats eventually took the lead. Midway into the third, the lead ping-ponged back and forth, with Clarion taking a 42-41 advantage after an Abby Gatesman three-pointer. UPJ responded with a 11-0 run at the end of the quarter, capping off a 21-12 third-quarter advantage. Taylor tacked on a three in the waning seconds to bring the deficit back to single digits.
Taylor scored 13 points in the second half and finishing with 18 on the night.
Pitt-Johnstown continued to put pressure on the Golden Eagles, keeping their lead around double-digits for the remainder of regulation. A hustle play by DayLynn Thornton to grab an offensive rebound leledad to a Taylor three-pointer with 7:31 left in the game to bring the deficit to seven, but that was as close as the Golden Eagles got the rest of the way.
