GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Wednesday evening at Thiel, and the Golden Tornadoes received a balanced offensive attack in running past the Tomcats 95-58.  Geneva evened its record at 2-2 overall, 1-0 in the PAC, while Thiel dropped to 1-6 overall, 0-1 in the PAC.

Thiel actually scored the first two baskets of the game to take an early four-point lead, but it was all Geneva from there.  Freshman Taylor Jackson (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) got Geneva on the board with a layup, a sign of things to come for Jackson, and sophomore Abby King (New Geneva, Pa./Albert-Gallatin) followed with a three-pointer.  The lead changed hands twice before junior Isabella Roth (Ellwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) drained back-to-back shots from three-point range, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 13-8 lead, and Geneva would never trail again.  The Golden Tornadoes held a 15-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Sophomore Cynthia Stewart (Silver Springs, Md./Paint Branch) opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, and a minute later back-to-back layups from Jackson gave Geneva its first double-digit lead of the game, 26-14.  The Golden Tornadoes never let their lead go under double digits again, and they took a 38-24 lead into the halftime break by applying consistent defensive pressure and forcing 20 Tomcat turnovers in the half.  Jackson had eight points to lead the offense.

Geneva put the game away in the third quarter, as Thiel continued to struggle to handle the Golden Tornado full-court pressure.  Geneva also shot it well from long range in the second half.  The Golden Tornadoes scored the first seven points of the quarter, with freshman Taylor Haring (Pittsburgh, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) and Roth hitting layups and Haring following with a three-pointer.  Two free throws from Haring four minutes into the quarter pushed the lead over 20 points, 56-35, and a three-pointer from Jackson right before the buzzer gave the Golden Tornadoes a 68-46 lead.

Sophomore Emily Bucheit (Kane, Pa./Kane) shot it well in the final quarter, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers as part of eight straight points she scored, and the Golden Tornadoes easily finished off the victory, 95-58.

Jackson led the way with a career-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, and she added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.  Roth had 13 points, while Haring and Bucheit each added 10 points, with Haring also grabbing eight rebounds.  All thirteen players that played for Geneva scored, with 11 of those players hitting at least one three-pointer.  As a team Geneva shot 41% from the floor, including 16-of-44 (36%) from three-point range.  The Golden Tornadoes held Thiel to just 28% shooting from the floor and forced 35 Tomcat turnovers.

"We played pretty well tonight," said Head Coach Michael Grinder.  "We made them play an up-tempo style and forced them into a lot of turnovers.  There are definitely areas we still need to improve on, but it is always good to get a road win to start off conference play."

Geneva finally gets a chance to play at home on Saturday for the first time this season when the women host undefeated Chatham, who knocked off preseason PAC-favorite Saint Vincent on Wednesday night by double-digits.  The game tips off at 1:00 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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).