Barb was 5-for-10 from the three-point line to continue her hot shooting from the end of last season, when she averaged 12.1 points over the final eight games and was 22-for-39 from long distance. McClain had her first career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior guard Jennifer Scherer added eight points and nine rebounds and freshman guard Andrea Veres had eight points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a team-high 42 minutes in her debut for the Warriors, who made their debut under first-year head coach Maureen Smith.
Emma Fickel scored 22 points, Mackenzie Clark had 17 and Courtney Healy added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Clarion, which was picked sixth in the PSAC West preseason poll.
The Warriors went on a furious run over a seven-minute stretch between the halves, turning an 11-point deficit (24-13) with 4:40 left in the first half into an eight-point lead (39-31) at 17:54 in the second half. The game was tied 31-31 at intermission.
They were 12-for-12 from the field during the 26-7 run which featured 11 points by McClain, eight points by Borst, and six points from Scherer. A three-pointer by Borst established a 44-35 lead with 14 minutes left in the second half before Clarion rallied to go ahead 48-46 over the next four minutes.
Neither team led by more than four down the stretch until McClain scored her final points with a layup with 1:53 left to put ESU ahead 63-58. Clarion scored the final five points of regulation, including the game-tying three-pointer by Fickel with 49 seconds left.
Clarion led throughout the overtime session, scoring the first points eight seconds in on a bucket by Ann Deibert and going ahead 69-63 with four minutes to play. Borst drilled her fifth three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit in half and later made two free throws with 30 seconds left to pull the Warriors within 72-70.
The Golden Eagles turned the ball over, but the Warriors did the same and were forced to foul to extend the game. Jennifer Linckhorst was 2-for-2 at the line with eight seconds left and ESU missed a pair of three-pointers before time expired.
The Warriors outrebounded Clarion, 53-51, with both teams shooting under 40 percent. ESU was 9-for-26 from the three-point line and Clarion was 5-for-13. Sophomore center Kelly Sorber had four points and a career-high nine rebounds and was one of five Warriors to play at least 30 minutes.
ESU will host Concordia (N.Y.) in its home opener on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Koehler Fieldhouse.
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