BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team returned home after four straight road games hoping to find some success on its home court, but the Golden Tornadoes fell down early on Tuesday night and lost to Penn State Beaver, 77-57.  Penn State Beaver improved to 5-1, while Geneva fell to 1-5.

Things got away from Geneva early.  Penn State Beaver scored the first eight points of the game to take the early lead.  The Golden Tornadoes put together one of their better stretches of the night, cutting the deficit to 10-8 after a six-point run.  That would be as close as Geneva would get all night, unfortunately.  The Lions went on a 16-2 run over the next five minutes, eventually taking a 28-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Golden Tornadoes continued to struggle against the Penn State Beaver full court pressure, with several turnovers leading to easy points for the Lions.  Penn State Beaver's lead grew to as much as 43-25 before settling on a 44-30 halftime lead.

A layup by junior Lauren Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) early in the second half pulled Geneva to within 12 points, 46-34, but that would be as close as the Golden Tornadoes would get.  Penn State Beaver scored the game's next six points, and Geneva never really threatened again.  The Lions led 65-43 at the end of the third quarter, and they stretched their lead to as much as 24 in the final quarter before finishing out the 77-57 victory.

Freshman Isabella Roth (Ellwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) scored a career-high 15 points, while Tipton provided her fifth double-double in six games, finishing with 10 points and 19 rebounds.  Turnovers once again plagued Geneva, as the Golden Tornadoes finished with a season-high 37.  Geneva also shot just 3-of-25 (12%) from three-point range.  The Golden Tornadoes did outrebound Penn State Beaver 64-48.

"We obviously can't handle pressure right now, and we're going to continue to see it until we prove we can," said Head Coach Michael Grinder.  "The last three games we've averaged over 30 turnovers, and most of it is decision making.  If we cut those turnovers down we generate so many more possessions for us, but we've got to figure out how to do it, and right now we're really struggling."

Geneva is off for a week before beginning Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play next Wednesday with a home game against Bethany at 5:30 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.