INDIANA, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team closed out their season with perhaps their biggest win of the year, defeating IUP 62-59 on the road on Saturday afternoon. Clarion rallied from a modest second-half deficit with a huge run midway through the period to shock the Crimson Hawks on their home floor.
 
With the win, Clarion snapped a 25-game losing streak to IUP that dated back to the 2010-11 season. The Golden Eagles' last victory in the series came on Jan. 22, 2011, a 73-68 win in Indiana.
 
The turning point of the game came midway through the second half, with the Crimson Hawks leading 44-38 with 13:15 to play. Gavin Cote cut into the lead with a three-pointer and then assisted on Connor Spratt's trey at the 12:14 mark, with the latter pulling the Golden Eagles to within 46-44. Cote followed up at the 11:27 mark, scoring on the fast break to tie it up at 46, and Jaylen Shippen put Clarion ahead 48-46 with a midrange jumper.
 
Spratt put the Golden Eagles back in the lead at the 9:26 mark, making a fast break jumper in the paint to make it 50-48, and Jeremy Thomas II stretched the advantage to four points at the 8:14 mark. Jayson Harris capped the 20-6 run with three-pointer from the left wing followed by another make, giving Clarion a 58-50 lead with 6:41 left to go.
 
The Crimson Hawks pushed back down the stretch, drawing to within 60-59 after a three-pointer by Garvin Clarke at the 1:41 mark. Thomas halted the run with a make in the paint and the Golden Eagles got a number of big stops down the stretch, with Clarke missing the potential game-tying three-pointer as time expired.
 
Harris was a force on offense and defense against the Crimson Hawks, scoring a team-high 13 points while also tying Justice Easter for the team-high with seven rebounds. Steve Kelly logged 12 points while Thomas finished with 11 points and five rebounds. The Clarion bench was a major factor, with the Golden Eagles outscoring IUP 16-6 off the bench.
 
Clarion opened the game on an 8-0 run, with Kelly capping the rally with a pair of free throws at the 16:33 mark. The Golden Eagles held the Crimson Hawks off the scoreboard until the 16:16 mark, and Thomas put them ahead 12-4 with a make at the 14:45 mark. Harris hit a midrange jumper to up the lead to 21-10, but IUP countered with a 19-4 run to increase their advantage to 29-25. The Crimson Hawks rode that run to a 31-29 lead at the halftime break.