LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College women's team traveled to Saint Vincent on Thursday night without two key starters, as well as Head Coach Michael Grinder, and the Golden Tornadoes fought valiantly but eventually ran out of gas in falling to the Bearcats, 80-71. The loss snaps Geneva's three-game winning streak and drops its record to 6-6 overall, 5-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
Junior Isabella Roth (Ellwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) opened the game with a three-pointer in what would prove to be a back-and-forth affair between the Golden Tornadoes and the Bearcats. Geneva took its biggest lead of the game midway through the quarter on back-to-back three-pointers from Roth, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 13-8 lead. Saint Vincent answered with a 9-2 run to take back the lead, 17-15, but a three-pointer from freshman Karyne Kinger (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) late in the quarter enabled Geneva to take a 20-19 lead at the first break.
Two free throws from junior Mia San Nicolas (Sinajana, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) early in the second quarter allowed Geneva to regain a five-point lead, 26-21. The Bearcats responded with seven straight points, and the game stayed tight the rest of the half. Saint Vincent scored in the closing seconds to take a 34-33 into the break. San Nicolas had 12 points and Roth 11 points to lead Geneva.
Geneva took what proved to be its last lead of the game three minutes into the second half on a three-pointer from sophomore Emily Bucheit (Kane, Pa./Kane), 39-37. However, with the game at 41-41, the Bearcats put together their best stretch of the game, a 13-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game, 54-43, with a minute remaining in the third quarter. Bucheit and Roth hit three-pointers in the final minute, though, to pull the Golden Tornadoes within 56-49 at the final break.
Bucheit opened the fourth quarter with another three-pointer, and another three-pointer from Roth a minute later pulled Geneva within 59-58. The Golden Tornadoes tied the game up twice in the fourth quarter, the last coming on a layup from Bucheit with 4:54 remaining in the game, 61-61.
Unfortunately, Geneva struggled on the boards, with the Saint Vincent regularly getting two or three shots at the hoop in the final quarter, and that prevented the Golden Tornadoes from getting enough stops. A three-pointer from Bucheit pulled Geneva within 72-71 with just under two minutes left, but the Golden Tornadoes ran out of gas and didn't score again, losing 80-71.
Bucheit led the team with 20 points, all coming the in the second half. She hit 6-of-13 three-pointers. Roth and San Nicolas each added 19 points, with Roth knocking down five three-pointers. The difference in the game came on the boards. The bigger Bearcats outrebounded Geneva, 74-37, including 33 offensive rebounds.
Geneva returns home on Saturday to take on 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).
