BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team came up with another win on Tuesday night at home against Bethany, leading from start to finish in picking up an 80-75 victory.  The win is the Golden Tornadoes' third straight and extends their best start in conference play since joining the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) ten years ago.  Geneva is now 6-5 on the season, 5-1 in the PAC, while Bethany dropped to 7-5, 2-3 in the PAC.

The game got off to a great start for the women.  Sophomore Cynthia Stewart (Silver Springs, Md./Paint Branch) opened with a layup off a steal, sophomore Emily Bucheit (Kane, Pa./Kane) followed with a bucket, junior Mia San Nicolas (Sinajana, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) converted two free throws and then added a layup, and junior Isabella Roth (Ellwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) capped off the game-opening run with a three-pointer to give Geneva an 11-0 lead just over four minutes into the game.

The Bison cut the lead down to 13-7 two minutes later before a bucket by San Nicolas and a three-pointer from freshman Lily Ybarra (Corpus Christi, Texas/Tuloso-Midway) gave the Golden Tornadoes a double-digit lead again, 18-7.  Roth then closed the first quarter with back-to-back three-pointer to give Geneva a 26-11 lead.

The Golden Tornadoes stayed hot from three-point range early in the second quarter, with sophomores Anna Hampshire (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford Area) and Abby King (New Geneva, Pa./Albert-Gallatin) knocking down shots from long range, and a layup from Stewart gave Geneva its biggest lead of the game, 36-15, with 7:34 remaining in the half.

Bethany finally got its offense going, though, over the remainder of the second quarter.  Geneva went cold from the perimeter, and the Bison went on a 23-7 run to cut the lead to five points, 43-38, before an offensive rebound and a layup at the buzzer by San Nicolas gave the Golden Tornadoes a 45-38 lead going into the break.

Geneva got its offense working again in the third quarter, and the Golden Tornadoes steadily rebuilt their lead, and after a layup from San Nicolas, Geneva led 61-47 with two minutes left in the quarter, allowing the Golden Tornadoes to take a 65-54 lead into the fourth quarter.

Bethany opened the final quarter with eight straight points as part of a 12-2 run to pull within 67-66 just over three minutes into the quarter.  Bucheit answered with a big three-pointer that started a run of eight straight Geneva points.  That run was capped off by a three-pointer from freshman Karyne Kinger (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) to give the Golden Tornadoes a 75-66 lead with 4:59 remaining.

The Bison had one last run, though, this one a 9-1 run to pull within one point again, 76-75, with 1:22 remaining.  Roth then stepped up and hit the biggest shot of the game, a three-pointer with one minute remaining.  The Golden Tornadoes' defense held Bethany scoreless the rest of the way to hold on for the 80-75 victory.

Stewart led four players in double figures with 20 points, along with five steals.  San Nicolas finished with another double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Roth added 12 points, on four three-pointers, and Bucheit also reached double figures with 10 points.  Ten different Golden Tornadoes scored.

Geneva finished the game shooting 43.7% from the floor, including 10-of-31 (32.3%) from three-point range.  The offense and defense was good enough to overcome an 8-of-19 (42.1%) performance from the foul line.  Bethany shot just 35.5% from the floor, including 5-of-26 (19.2%) from long range.  Lindsey Garrison led the Bison with 21 points.

"We came out really strong to begin the game, which is something we've been working to improve upon recently," said Assistant Coach Zack Stitt, who was filling in for Head Coach Michael Grinder who missed the game due to COVID protocols.  "I thought we got good contributions from everyone tonight.  I was most proud of the way we finished.  It seemed like Bethany had the momentum at the end, but we had some players step up and make some key shots.  For a young team to win a game like tonight late is another step in the right direction for our program."

Geneva heads next to Saint Vincent on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff before returning home on Saturday to host Thiel at 3:00 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).