JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The Clarion Golden Eagles (12-14, 7-13 PSAC) faced a tough battle against Pitt-Johnstown (10-17, 7-13 PSAC), falling 80-72 in a hard-fought contest on Saturday. Despite nabbing 15 steals and capitalizing with 25 points off turnovers, Clarion couldn't outpace UPJ's explosive 27-point third quarter.
The Golden Eagles will play in the first round of the PSAC Tournament on Monday, March 2 at Seton Hill.
Leading the charge,
Zoe Guice poured in 24 points, hitting 10 of 15 from the charity stripe, while snagging five steals and dishing out six assists.
Arianna Seitz was right there with 18 points, two blocked shots, and five rebounds.
Alyssa Terza owned the glass with 12 rebounds—nine of them defensive—and chipped in two steals. Zoé Bayer added 13 points, knocking down two from downtown and contributing two steals to the defensive effort.
The Golden Eagles hit the ground running, sparked by Guice's layup at 9:37, sparking a 6-0 tear. Seitz chipped in with two free throws at 9:05, keeping the early momentum alive. In a gritty back-and-forth, Clarion forced six turnovers, creating key scoring chances. Guice's layup at 2:46 tightened the score to 14-12, keeping things neck-and-neck. The first quarter wrapped with the Mountain Cats just edging ahead, 18-17.
In the second quarter, Guice delivered a thrilling buzzer-beater layup, giving Clarion a 33-32 edge with just a tick left. Earlier, Terza nailed a three at 7:21, keeping it close. Despite UPJ's efforts, Clarion's defensive tenacity and timely buckets led to a 16-14 quarter advantage, sending them into halftime with a slim 33-32 lead.
The third quarter saw Clarion charging out with a 6-0 run, highlighted by Seitz's three at 7:11, taking a 38-33 lead. Bayer's three-pointer at 5:57 pushed it to 43-37. Yet, UPJ clawed back, overtaking the Golden Eagles in the closing minutes, ending the third at 59-54.
In the fourth, Clarion fought to close in on UPJ, with Bayer's three at 1:56 narrowing it to 74-65. Despite Guice's relentless defense, including a steal at 3:55, and sharp free-throw shooting, the Golden Eagles couldn't quite bridge the gap. They put up 18 points in the quarter, but UPJ held firm, sealing the 80-72 win.
