Box Score
After falling behind 17-1 to start, Pitt-Johnstown battled back to make it a one-point game with 1:40 to play, but the Golden Eagles hit three free-throws down the stretch to secure a 78-74 PSAC victory, Saturday evening in Clarion.  Laurel O'Barto had 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the Lady Cats fell to 7-14 overall and 3-12 in the PSAC Western Division.
 
Clarion started fast and got five straight points from Jordan Dekelja, and a bucket from Amesha Harden-Pullium to put the Golden Eagles up 17-1 four minutes into the game.
 
The Lady Cats got 3-pointers from Alexis Hartwick and Maurina Nunn to 13, before another 3-pointer from Hartwick cut it to 23-15 with 29 seconds left in the quarter.
 
Jen Straw's free-throws closed out the quarter to get Clarion's lead back into double digits at 25-15.
 
Five straight point to open the second quarter got the Golden Eagles' back out to 15, and back-to-back 3-pointers by Harden-Pullium gave Clarion its largest lead of the first half at 48-30 with 2:37 remaining.
 
Pitt-Johnstown answered with a 3-pointer and a free-throw from Victoria Moreland, but Tyra Polite's late 3-pointer put the Golden Eagles in front 52-35 at the break.
 
The Lady Cats controlled the third quarter and outscored Clarion 19-8 to get back into the game.  Pitt-Johnstown used a 13-2 run over the first seven minutes to cut the deficit to six on baskets by Jamie Tabon Olivia McCabe and Maurina Nunn's driving lay-up at 1:23 made it 58-54.
 
The Golden Eagles answered with a late basket from Delrika Jones-Carey to make it 60-54 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Polite's bucket three minutes into the final quarter pushed Clarion's lead back out to a dozen, but Pitt-Johnstown wouldn't go away, and outscored the Golden Eagles 16-5 to narrow the gap to 73-72 with 1:40 to play on two O'Barto baskets and a lay-up by Gabrielle Smith.
 
However, Clarion converted on its free-throws to hold on for the four-point win.
 
Along with O'Barto's 20 points, Tabon had 13 points and seven rebounds, and McCabe had nine points and nine rebounds for Pitt-Johnstown.  Hartwick added nine points, while Smith and Moreland had eight and seven points, respectively for the Lady Cats.
 
Pitt-Johnstown shot 43.9% (29-66) from the floor, 8-22 from 3-point range, and 8-13 from the charity stripe.  Clarion ended the night shooting 43.5% (23-62) from the field and 8-21 from behind the 3-point line.  The Golden Eagles were also 16-24 from the free-throw line.
 
Polite's 20 points led five Clarion players who scored in double figures.  Jones-Carey had 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Harden-Pullium had 16 points.  The golden Eagles, who improved to 13-8 overall and 10-5 in the PSAC West, also got 15 points from Bekelja and 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds from Straw.
 
The Lady Cats travel to PSAC a game at Gannon on Wednesday, before returning home to host a conference doubleheader with the Mountain Cats against Edinboro on February 4 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Sports Center.