Late Run Helps Clarion Beat Kutztown 66-63
8-0 spurt lifts Clarion to win
KUTZTOWN – Sara Pratt scored six of her 12 points during a late 8-0 run that helped the Clarion University women’s basketball team erase a 2-point deficit and get a 66-63 win at Kutztown in PSAC Crossover play Sunday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles (9-3) trailed 56-54 with 6:27 left but tied the score on a My’Kea Cohill layup with 6:07 to play. Pratt, who had a double-double with the 12 points and 10 rebounds, then took over hitting three straight layups between the 4:43 mark and the 3:06 mark to give Clarion a 62-56 lead.
Kutztown (6-7) was able to get within a point, 64-63, on a layup by Mercedes Van Wagner with 36 seconds left, but Jessica Albanese, who scored a game-high 16 points, restored a 3-point lead for Clarion with a layup with 14 seconds left off an assist by Pratt.
Then, following four consecutive timeouts including three by Kutztown with 2.3 seconds left, the Golden Bears Melissa McQuade missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game.
Katrina Greer added 15 points for Clarion, while Cohill had 11. Ashley Grimm added six points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals a day after setting the school record for career assists. She now has 485 career helpers.
McQuade led Kutztown with 14 points and eight boards, while Van Wagner had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Rachel Wisemiller chipped in with 11 points.
The game was tied at 24 at halftime and then was tied eight more times in the second half before Clarion finally took the lead for good. In all, there were 16 ties in the game and 13 lead changes.
Clarion, which has won two straight and 5 of 7, is back in action at 1 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Millersville.
NOTES – The 9-3 record is Clarion’s best after 12 game since 2004-2005 when the Golden Eagles were also 9-3, and the nine wins equals last year’s win total … Clarion started the 2004-2005 season 18-3 on its way to a 23-7 overall mark and the NCAA Division II Playoffs.