BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team had to wait over a month before finally getting the chance to play inside Metheny Fieldhouse, but the delay for the home opener proved worth the wait on Saturday afternoon.  The Golden Tornadoes put together a strong fourth quarter to defeat Chatham, who came into the game undefeated in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), 84-75.  The victory gives this young women's squad an early signature win as the team heads into Christmas break.  Geneva improved to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the PAC, while Chatham dropped to 7-2 overall, 2-1 in the PAC.

The game on Saturday was a makeup of the original scheduled contest between these two schools from December 4 that was postponed due to COVID.  The two teams represented contrasting styles, with Chatham using their size to control games defensively, with the Cougars only giving up only 45 points per game, tops in the PAC.  Geneva, on the other hand, plays a fast-paced, pressing style of basketball that sees scores often get up near triple digits.

Junior Isabella Roth (Elwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) opened the game with a three-pointer before the Cougars answered with seven straight points.  Freshman Taylor Haring (Pittsburgh, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) answered with a layup and a three-pointer to regain the lead for Geneva, 8-7.  Chatham responded with a 9-2 run to take a 16-10 lead, and the Cougars still led 19-16 heading into the second quarter.

The Cougars built their lead to 24-19 midway through the second quarter before three straight three-pointers, two from freshman Karyne Kinger (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) and one by sophomore Abby King (New Geneva, Pa./Albert-Gallatin), gave the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 28-24, with five minutes before half.

However, with Geneva leading 31-28 with just under four minutes to go after another three-pointer from Roth, Chatham scored eight straight point before a layup from freshman Taylor Jackson (Clairton, Pa./Clairton) right before the halftime buzzer pulled the Golden Tornadoes to within 36-33 at the break.  Roth had nine points, while Kinger added seven points to lead Geneva offensively.

Chatham opened the second half well, extending its lead to 45-38 just two minutes into the quarter, the largest lead of the game for the Cougars.  The Golden Tornadoes immediately responded, though, with senior Shannon Wolfe (Alliance, Ohio/West Branch) and sophomore Cynthia Stewart (Silver Springs, Md./Paint Branch) contributing back-to-back three-point plays in a run that pulled Geneva back level, 46-46.

The Cougars scored the next five points before back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore Emily Bucheit (Kane, Pa./Kane) and Roth gave the Golden Tornadoes their first lead of the second half, 52-51, with just over a minute left in the third quarter.  Chatham responded with a 6-2 run to close out the quarter to take a 57-54 lead at the final break.

Junior Mia San Nicolas (Sinaja, Guam/Wenatchee Valley College) opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play to even the score, and after Chatham's Riley D'Angelo banked in a three-pointer, Nicolas responded with another three-point play on Geneva's next possession.  After a Chatham miss, Nicolas knocked down another short shot to give Geneva a 62-60 lead.

The lead changed hands multiple times over the next four minutes, with Chatham taking its last lead of the game, 69-68, with 5:45 remaining.  On Geneva's next possession, it was Nicolas again with a bucket down low.  Jackson stole the ball on Chatham's next possession, throwing the ball up the court to Stewart who laid it in while being fouled, and she converted the free throw to give the Golden Tornadoes a 73-69 lead.  Geneva never trailed again.

The Golden Tornadoes steadily built their lead over the final four minutes of the game, with the biggest difference coming at the foul line.  Geneva stepped up and converted its free throws down the stretch, with the Cougars struggled from the charity stripe.  Roth closed out the victory with three free throws in the final minute as Geneva prevailed, 84-75.

The Golden Tornadoes got a very balanced offensive attack, led by a career-high 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks from Nicolas, with Nicolas scoring 14 of those points in the fourth quarter.  She finished 7-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the foul line.  Roth added 16 points, including four three-pointers, while Stewart stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.  Bucheit chipped in with 12 points, while Kinger contributed a career-high 10 points.  Wolfe gave Geneva some good minutes off the bench, pulling down eight rebounds, while junior Tess Liggett (Columbian, Ohio/Columbiana) added six assists.

Geneva finished the game 26-of-75 (34.7%) from the floor, including 12-of-38 (31.6%) from three-point range.  The Golden Tornadoes made 20-of-26 (76.9%) from the free throw line, and they held their own on the boards against a much bigger Chatham squad, getting outrebounded just 52-48.  The defense forced 23 Cougar turnovers, leading to 18 fast-break points. 

Chatham got a game-high 25 points from Julianna Skowron to lead the Cougar offense, but Chatham shot just 11-of-26 (42.3%) from the free throw line.  From the floor the Cougars finished 29-of-71 (40.8%), including 6-of-21 (28.6%) from long range.

"We just dug in defensively and played much better in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter," said Head Coach Michael Grinder.  "We had good ball movement against their zone in the second half, and we really outplayed them over the final five minutes.  We can still shoot better than we did today, but overall this was a really positive result for us.  This young team needed a win like this after opening the season with five straight road games, and this hopefully gives us some momentum heading into the second semester."

The women will get over a week off before returning after Christmas to prepare for a tournament at Bluffton University beginning Wednesday, December 29.  Geneva will be back on its home court with a game against Bethany on Tuesday, January 4.

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).