CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles women's basketball team will play in their first conference tournament game in nearly a decade on Monday when they face the #18/20 Seton Hill Griffins in Greensburg. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. 

 

Clarion enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in head coach Danielle Fleming's second season on the bench. After winning just a single game a year ago, the Golden Eagles went 14-14 overall in 2024-25, their first time with a .500 record in the regular season since going 15-14 during the 2016-17 season. That was also the last time Clarion went to the conference tournament; the Golden Eagles went 12-10 in PSAC play that year and were also the sixth seed, falling to Mercyhurst in the first round. 

 

The game between the Golden Eagles and the Griffins will feature two of the most prolific offenses in the PSAC. Seton Hill led the lead with an 81.7 points per game average, nearly eight points better than second place Edinboro (74.0). If one considers the Griffins the outlier in the occasion, the Golden Eagles fare well in that category; they rank fourth in the league with an average of 71.8 points per game. Seton Hill and Clarion are also among the best teams in the league in three-point shooting. 

 

The game could be a duel of two of the league's top-10 scorers. Autumn Taylor ranks seventh in the PSAC with an average of 15.5 points per game, just 0.2 points better than the Griffins' Hallie Cowan. A streaky three-point shooter, Taylor has shown the ability to light up the scoreboard when she finds the right touch, tying for seventh in the league in three-pointers made per game. 

 

Seton Hill has won each of the last eight meetings between the teams, dating back to the 2021-22 season. Clarion's last win over the Griffins came on Feb. 1, 2020, in Clarion; Jada Smith and Yasmin Lewis had 13 and 10 rebounds respectively while Emily Hegedus scored 13 points. The last Clarion win in Greensburg came all the way back on Feb. 12, 2014, when the Golden Eagles won 69-56. Hannah Heeter went off for 15 points and 16 rebounds, marking the 12th double-double of the season and 41st of her career.