CLARION, Pa. - The Mansfield Mountaineers women's basketball team (3-2, 0-1 PSAC) began their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) portion of their schedule on Fri. (Nov. 22) night against the Clarion (5-1, 1-0 PSAC) Golden Eagles, with the opening start of conference action favoring the host who earned a 89-62 victory.

Katie Sheeler finished with 21 points and matched her career high of eight rebounds.

Mansfield's other double digit scorer was Sarah Hortin with 17 and nine rebounds and Kristen Fulford finished with nine points and six rebounds. 

Clarion gained a quick lead in the early minutes, holding the 11-4 advantage just over the first three minutes of action.

Cydney Stanton set up the next two shots for Fulford and Hortin to double their scoring and bring the Golden Eagles' lead down to one possession.

Clarion felt the pressure and finished the first quarter on their own terms, splashing five of the final six field goals of the quarter to hold the 23-13 edge after first ten minutes. 

To begin the second quarter, Hortin scored five of the first seven for the Mounties to claw into the Golden Eagles' 27-20 lead. Sheeler found rhythm over the next minute and a half, earning seven points, but Clarion still held the 33-30 edge.

Three of the final four field goals in the first half went the Golden Eagles' way, with the host holding the 40-34 advantage into the locker rooms. 

Clarion sank their first two field goals of the third quarter to regain their first double digit lead, 44-34, since the beginning of the second quarter. This was in part of a 10-1 run to give the Golden Eagles the 50-35 midway through the quarter. 

The host continued their momentum with a 13-2 run to help cement a 27-point quarter for Clarion as the Golden Eagles pulled away with a 67-44 edge before the final ten minutes. 

An 11-3 run sparked a chance for a Mounties comeback to cut the deficit to 70-55, but Clarion shut down any chances of a late upset, claiming their first conference victory, 89-62.

UP NEXT:
Mansfield will finish out their weekend with Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday (Nov. 23) afternoon, with the conference battle scheduled for 1 p.m.