GOLDEN EAGLES TO OPEN PSAC-WEST PLAY BY HOSTING CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY

Women’s Game set for 6 p.m.; Men’s game at 8 p.m.

CLARION – The Clarion University men’s and women’s basketball teams will open their 2003-04 PSAC-West campaigns Wednesday when they host California.

The men’s game matches two of the top teams in the PSAC-West with Clarion sporting a 10-2 mark entering conference play and California an 11-3 record.

The game pits the top two defensive teams in the PSAC against each other.

The Golden Eagles, who have won six straight games, are allowing a PSAC best 60.2 ppg and have allowed only 50.6 ppg in their last five contests. In those five games, an opponent has not reached 60 points, the first time that Clarion has held opponents to under 60 points in each of five consecutive games in the shot-clock era.

California, meanwhile, is the No. 2 defensive team in the PSAC allowing 64.2 ppg.

Clarion is coming off two tough defensive battles this past weekend including a 59-55 come-from-behind win at Bloomsburg Sunday and a 62-53 win at East Stroudsburg Saturday.

California had one game this weekend falling 82-78 at Mansfield Sunday.

The Golden Eagles are balanced scoring team that averages 71.2 ppg despite having only two players averaging in double figures. What Clarion does have is nine players scoring 4.9 ppg or more.

Michael Clarke leads Clarion with 13.2 ppg while adding 6.1 rpg and a team-high 12 blocks. Terrance Vaughns, the PSAC-West Player of the Week last week after averaging 17.3 ppg including a career-high 22 in the win over East Stroudsburg, is adding 11.8 ppg, 2.6 apg, 3.6 rpg and 1.8 spg.

Ryan Wells is adding 8.4 ppg and leads the team in both rebounding (8.8 rpg) and steals (2.7 spg) while adding 1.7 apg. He is fifth in the PSAC in rebounding despite checking in at just 6-2. Justin Collins is contributing 8.3 ppg, Bobby Franklin, 5.9 ppg, Craig Wellman 5.4 ppg (in seven games), Lee Church 5.3 ppg, Shamar Green 5.2 ppg and Robert Wordlaw 4.9 ppg. Church has added 15 steals, Franklin 14 and Wordlaw 12, as Clarion has forced 133 steals (11.1 spg) this season. Green is tied for third on the team in rebounding with 3.6 rpg.

California, which started the season 10-0 but has lost three of its past four games, is averaging 75.3 ppg.

Kevin Handy’s 15.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg lead the Vulcans, while Michael Johnson is adding 12.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Sherman Brittingham contributes 12.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg, Gerrmar Ballard 11.5 ppg and Sharif Bray 10.3 ppg.

It would be no surprise if the men’s game was within a possession or two. In the last 31 meetings between Clarion and California 20 have been decided by 10 points or less, 11 by five points or less, 10 by three points or less and five by one point. Last year’s games were won by Clarion 79-72 at California and 63-61 at Clarion. Clarion has won six of the last eight meetings between the two clubs.

In the women’s game, Clarion (8-6) will be facing the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in California (14-0).

The Golden Eagles started the season hot winning six of their first eight games but have since lost four of six including two overtime loses. Three of those loses have come by four points or less including an 82-81 overtime heartbreaker at Bloomsburg Sunday. Clarion had beaten East Stroudsburg 95-48 Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak.

California is coming off an 105-40 pasting of Mansfield Sunday.

Heather Cigich, the PSAC’s leading scorer and No. 2 rebounder leads Clarion, whioch enters the game with the second highest scoring offense in the conference at 76.6 ppg. She is averaging 20.1 ppg and 11.9 rpg and was the PSAC-West Player of the Week last week after averaging 28.5 ppg and 10 rpg for the Golden Eagles.

In her career, Cigich ranks sixth in both career scoring (1,096) and caree rebounding (688) in school history. This year she is adding 2.7 apg, 3.2 spg and five blocks.

Cigich inside teammate Shay Godwin is also averaging a double-double with 14.5 ppg and 12.0 rpg, which leads the PSAC, to go with a team-high 13 blocked shots.

Tiffany Peacock (14.4 ppg, 3 apg) and Amelia Harris (13.6 ppg, 3.4 apg) give the Golden Eagles four players averaging in double digits.

California enters the game with the PSAC’s top scoring offense (90.3 ppg scored) and toughest defense (56.9 ppg allowed).

Sara McKinney leads four Vulcans in double figures averaging 18.4 ppg, while Sameera Philyaw is adding 15.6 ppg, Megan Storck 15.4 ppg and Becky Siembak 14.8 ppg. McKinney is adding 8.5 rpg, Philyaw 7.1 rpg and Siembak 7.0 rpg. Siemback has 1,708 career points split between Slippery Rock and California and 997 career rebounds.

California is riding a 14-game PSAC-West win streak and an 11-game win streak over Clarion. The Vulcans last lost a PSAC-West game Feb. 9, 2002, 82-59 at Shippensburg. Clarion last beat Cal 60-58 late in the 1997-98 season.

Clarion’s men’s team returns to action Jan. 19 at District of Columbia, while both teams will resume PSAC-West play Jan. 21 at Slippery Rock.