CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagles women's basketball team opened its 2025–26 campaign in dominant fashion, riding a fast-paced attack and relentless defensive pressure to a 96–68 win over the Blue Bears on Friday evening in Tippin Gymnasium.
Head coach
Danielle Fleming praised her team's overall execution and energy from the opening tip. "I thought we played well. I thought we dictated the pace the entire game," Fleming said. "I loved how we shared the ball, pushed in transition, and got to the free-throw line a couple of times. So overall, I'm very happy and pleased with how we played."
Clarion opened the game red hot and never relinquished control, using suffocating pressure to set the tone early. The Golden Eagles forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, converting defensive stops into instant offense.
Aundraya Neavins and
Madison Palek capitalized on the early momentum, helping build a 23–11 lead.
Sophomore guard
Zoe Guice, who spearheaded the defensive intensity, said the team's press was the difference-maker.
"I feel like the key was our press. We've been really harping on our press, and it helped to speed them up and force turnovers," said Guice. "We were speeding up the pace, moving our feet, getting traps — it really helped us get going."
The second quarter mirrored the first, with
Arianna Seitz scoring two quick buckets to extend the lead to 16. Guice continued to disrupt the Blue Bear guards, generating fast-break opportunities that led to points from
Kendall Berger and
Alyssa Terza. By halftime, the Golden Eagles had extended their lead to 48–25.
Livingstone responded in the third quarter with increased physicality and a heavy full-court press. Their pressure slowed Clarion's offense, allowing the Blue Bears to shoot 61.0 percent in the period and chip away at the lead. Despite Palek finding success beating the press inside, Livingstone closed the quarter trailing 67–50.
The Blue Bears' momentum continued into the fourth, trimming the deficit to 11 with 6:30 remaining. Following a quick timeout from Coach Fleming, Clarion regrouped and regained control. Berger, Seitz, and
Niah Smedley knocked down back-to-back-to-back threes, halting the Blue Bears' surge and reigniting the Golden Eagle offense. From there, Clarion pulled away comfortably to secure the 96–68 victory.
Guice finished with a game-high 18 points to go along with five assists and six steals. Palek, Terza, Seitz, and Berger each reached double figures as well. Defensively, Clarion forced 29 turnovers, converting them into 34 fast-break points, a direct reflection of the pace and pressure emphasized by Fleming and executed by her players.
The Golden Eagles return to Tippin Gymnasium tomorrow at 5 p.m. to face the Bluefield State Big Blue, who defeated Mansfield earlier in the day.
