NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team put together three pretty good quarters at Westminster.  Unfortunately, a poor third quarter from the Golden Tornadoes proved too much to overcome as Geneva fell to the Titans, 82-77.  Westminster improved to 4-2 overall, 4-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Geneva dropped its second straight to fall to 3-5 overall, 3-5 in the PAC.

Sophomore Isabella Roth (Ellwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) hit a three-pointer on Geneva's opening possession to counter Westminster's opening basket.  Senior Lauren Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) followed with a layup, and senior Emily Melnek (Poland, Ohio/Poland) hit a three-pointer on Geneva's next possession to complete an 8-0 run for the Golden Tornadoes.  Geneva would take its biggest lead of the first quarter, 15-8, after another three-pointer from Melnek and a bucket from freshman Anna Hampshire (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford Area).  However, Westminster ended the quarter on a 10-3 run to even the score at 18-18 at the first break.

The second quarter went back-and-forth early on.  Geneva scored six straight points midway through the quarter, and after Roth made a layup after a Westminster turnover in the backcourt a moment later, the Golden Tornadoes took a 34-27 lead.  However, the Titans answered right back with seven straight before a three-pointer from freshman Abby King (New Geneva, Pa./Albert-Gallatin) put Geneva back ahead, 37-34.  The Titans answered with a three-point play, but freshman Cynthia Stewart (Silver Springs, Md./Paint Branch) responded with a three-pointer.  Neither team could create any separation, though, with Geneva taking a 42-41 lead into the halftime break.

Things got away from Geneva early in the third quarter.  Tipton opened the period with a layup, but the Titans responded with a 23-7 run over the next nine minutes, with the Golden Tornado offense going cold, giving Westminster a 64-51 lead with a minute remaining before the final break.  A three-point play from Tipton cut the deficit to 64-54 heading into the fourth quarter.

Geneva cut the Westminster lead to 66-61 three minutes into the final period on a jumper from Tipton.  Westminster would keep the Tornadoes from regaining the lead, though.  A three-pointer from Melnek with 1:30 remaining cut the Westminster lead to 77-74, and a minute later King hit another three-pointer to pull Geneva within two, 79-77, with 31 seconds left.  However, a critical Golden Tornado turnover down three with 20 seconds to go ended Geneva's last hope, and Westminster finished off the 82-77 victory at the free throw line.

"The third quarter really killed us tonight," said Head Coach Michael Grinder.  "I thought we did some really solid things throughout, but to win on the road, you can't give away a quarter, and that's what we did tonight.  The loss is very frustrating because I thought that was a very winnable game, but I'm encouraged about a lot of the underlying trends this young team is making.  Our pressure was very effective, and we kept better care of the ball.  We have to convert layups and make some open jumpers, but if we continue to improve, these losses are going to turn into wins."

Tipton led the offense, finishing with another double-double, 20 points and 10 rebounds.  Stewart added 13 points while grabbing a potential school-record 11 steals, though single game records for steals has not been kept.  King also reached 13 points.  Geneva's defense forced 29 turnovers, generating 24 steals, while just turning the ball over 13 times.  The Golden Tornadoes shot only 33%, though, while Westminster countered at 43%.  The Titans also dominated the boards, outrebounding Geneva 64-43.  Natalie Murrio led Westminster with a game-high 27 points.

Geneva has one remaining regular season game left on its schedule, this Saturday against Thiel at 7:00 p.m. in Metheny Fieldhouse.  The game will be Geneva's Senior Night, with the Golden Tornadoes recognizing their three seniors, Tipton, Melnek and Shannon Staver (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg).


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 is included on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "2019 Best College Values" list and has one of the top 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.