CLARION, Pa. — In a hard-fought battle at Tippin Gymnasium, Clarion was unable to hold off Seton Hill, falling 98-84 to the Griffins. The Golden Eagles honored their seniors in a pregame ceremony, with
Dominika Logue and
Jaylyn Twitty recognized.
Arianna Seitz emerged as a standout, racking up 16 points and a game-high 10 boards for a double-double.
Kendall Berger mirrored her scoring with 16 points and swiped four steals.
Aundraya Neavins chipped in 10 points, going a perfect six-for-six from the line, while
Dominika Logue contributed 11 points, sinking three triples and grabbing three steals.
Clarion matched the high-scoring Griffins bucket for bucket for most of the game, leading by as many as seven points in the second quarter. The Golden Eagles led as late as the 5:45 mark of the third quarter, when just a minute before
Alyssa Terza knocked down a three-pointer to give her side a 56-53 lead. The Griffins responded with a 17-10 run to end the period, taking a 70-66 lead after Mia Kalich scored with 1:07 to play.
Arianna Seitz gave the Golden Eagles some life with 4:05 left to play in regulation, converting an and-one to polish off a 5-0 run that cut it to 84-76, but Hailee Ford finished off her own hoop-and-harm to put the lead back in double digits.
The Golden Eagles came out swinging, using crisp ball movement to jump to an early 11–5 lead. Berger's fastbreak layup, set up by
Zoe Guice at 7:55, capped off an efficient start. Seton Hill didn't back down, tying it up multiple times. Hallie Cowan's trey at 3:04 briefly put them ahead, but Seitz's clutch 3-pointer at 3:40 swung it back to Clarion. The quarter wrapped up with Berger's buzzer-beating jumper, knotting it at 21–21.
Clarion surged in the second quarter, orchestrating a pivotal 10–2 run. Berger's fast-break layup at 5:13 widened the gap. Logue's timely 3-pointer at 1:45 bolstered their lead, and the Golden Eagles carried a 49–45 advantage into halftime.
Seitz's layup at 9:35 in the third quarter pushed Clarion's lead to six, but Seton Hill answered back with Cowan's 3-pointer at 8:43 to tie it up.
Alyssa Terza briefly put the Golden Eagles back in front with a 3-pointer at 6:55. However, Seton Hill responded with a run of their own, including Helene Cowan's 3-pointer at 5:45, to seize control.
Despite Guice's contributions with layups and assists, the Golden Eagles struggled to overcome turnovers, trailing 70–66 at the end of the third. The final quarter saw Berger hitting a crucial jumper at 8:34 from a Guice assist, narrowing the gap. Seitz's back-to-back layups, including a three-point play at 4:05, cut the deficit to eight. But the Griffins took advantage of opportunities in the paint, pulling away for a 98–84 victory over the Golden Eagles.
