CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – The Geneva College women's basketball team traveled to Ohio Christian on Wednesday evening, and despite keeping pace with the Trailblazers for most of the first half, Ohio Christian pulled away for a big 117-67 victory.  Ohio Christian improved to 5-3, while Geneva fell to 1-3.

The game actually stayed close for much of the first half.  Ohio Christian went ahead early, 12-6, but three-pointers from seniors Jeana Luciana (Oakmont, Pa./Saint Joseph) and Meghan Hirneisen (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), along with sophomore Paige Repine (Marion Center, Pa./Marion Center) gave Geneva a 19-16 lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.  The Trailblazers responded with six straight points to take a 22-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

Freshman Taylor Greene (Conway, Pa./Freedom) hit a three-pointer early in the second quarter that enabled Geneva to retake the lead, 25-22.  The Golden Tornadoes still maintained a lead, 36-34, with 4:48 remaining in the half before the wheels fell off.  Ohio Christian finished the half on a 24-3 run to take a commanding 58-39 lead into the break, stunning the Golden Tornadoes.

The onslaught continued in the second half.  The Trailblazers opened the third quarter with a 25-9 run on its way to a 95-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter, outscoring Geneva 38-13 in the period.  Ohio Christian cruised from there, finishing off the 117-67 win.

Junior Lauren Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian Academy) led the team with 17 points (7-of-12 shooting) and eight rebounds, while junior Emily Melnek (Poland, Ohio/Poland) added 12 points and Luciana 11 points.  Ohio Christian finished the game shooting 50.5% from the floor, including 14-of-37 (37.8%) from three-point range.  The Trailblazers outrebounded Geneva 53-34.

Geneva returns to action on Saturday with a road trip to Wooster, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 115 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the top engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.