INDIANA, Pa. — The Golden Eagle men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with a thrilling victory as Clarion (1-0) defeated Point Park (0-2) by a score of 80-78 on Friday. Davyon Butler broke a 78-78 tie with two free throws with just three seconds remaining to secure the season-opening win for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles forced 21 Point Park turnovers, recording 15 steals and scoring 21 points off turnovers. Clarion shot 12-of-15 from the free throw line and scored 38 points in the paint while adding 26 points off the bench.
Davyon Butler led the Golden Eagles with a game-high 29 points, shooting 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Butler also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and recorded a team-high five steals. Khaden Moore finished with 10 points and six rebounds, while Messiah Dixon added nine points, three assists and two steals. Aydan Cunningham contributed eight points, six rebounds and three steals, while Marcqell Freeman chipped in eight points and two 3-pointers.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early advantage in the first half, using an 8-0 run to turn a 4-4 tie into a 12-4 lead with 14:43 remaining. Cunningham started the run with a layup before Freeman; Moore and Xavier Price added baskets to give Clarion an eight-point advantage. The Golden Eagles continued to build their lead, with Butler and Dixon connecting on 3-pointers to push the score to 18-8.
Point Park cut the deficit to 26-21 midway through the half, but Clarion responded with baskets from Price, Dixon and Zaire Smaltz to extend its advantage back to double digits. The Golden Eagles caught fire from beyond the arc late in the half, with Butler knocking down two 3-pointers and Freeman adding another. Butler's triple with 47 seconds remaining gave Clarion its largest lead of the half at 49-34, and the Golden Eagles entered halftime ahead 51-39.
Clarion carried its momentum into the second half, with Cunningham scoring on an offensive rebound before Butler finished a fast-break layup to extend the lead to 55-39. Point Park responded with a run of its own, cutting the Golden Eagles' advantage to 60-55 with 11:56 remaining.
The Golden Eagles answered with a scoring stretch highlighted by a Moore jumper, a Butler tip-in and a Freeman 3-pointer. Ricky Goode-Wright added a pair of free throws to push Clarion's lead back to double digits at 69-59.
Point Park continued to battle back in the closing minutes, trimming the deficit to 78-73 following a Dixon layup with 2:21 remaining. The Pioneers scored the next five points, with Obi Okafor connecting on a jumper to tie the game at 78-78 with 1:13 left.
The Golden Eagles held Point Park scoreless over the final minute, forcing two missed shots in the closing 22 seconds. Butler drew a foul with three seconds remaining and knocked down both free throws to put Clarion ahead 80-78. Butler then recorded a steal as time expired, sealing the two-point victory for the Golden Eagles.
