GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team used a big second half on Thursday evening at Thiel to leave town with a convincing 95-66 victory in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener. The Golden Tornadoes improved to 1-3 overall, 1-0 in the PAC, while the Tomcats are now 0-1, 0-1 in the PAC.
Similar to the men's game before them, the women got off to a slow start. Thiel, who was playing its first game of the season, scored the first seven points of the game. A layup from sophomore Lily Ybarra finally got Geneva on the board. However, the Tomcats eventually stretched their lead to 16-8 with four minutes remaining in the first quarter, their biggest lead of the game. A layup from junior Mia San Nicolas, followed by a three-pointer from sophomore Taylor Haring, pulled the Golden Tornadoes close, though, with Thiel holding onto a 20-16 lead at the first break.
A three-pointer from senior Isabella Roth a little over a minute into the second quarter pulled Geneva to within one point, 22-21, and then three minutes later, another three-pointer, this one from junior Anna Hampshire, gave the Golden Tornadoes their first lead of the game, 26-24. Geneva managed to stretch its lead to 38-30 on a three-pointer from freshman Bailee Fletcher a minute before half, and the Golden Tornadoes took a 38-32 lead into the break.
Roth hit another three-pointer right out of the break before Thiel pulled within 43-40 three minutes into the third quarter. It was all Geneva the rest of the game, though. The Golden Tornadoes answered with a 18-4 run over the next five minutes, the last points coming on a three-pointer from freshman Madi Matthews, giving Geneva a 61-44 lead, and the Golden Tornadoes took a 65-48 lead into the final break.
Thiel never threatened in the fourth quarter, as Matthews stayed hot from three-point range, hitting two more from deep early in the quarter. The Golden Tornadoes would lead by as much as 92-59 on after a three-pointer from sophomore Abby Shoaff, and Geneva easily closed out the win, 95-66.
Roth led five players in double figures with 19 points, including 5-of-8 shooting from long range. Matthews, who hit 4-of-6 from three-point range, and San Nicolas each added 14 points, while Haring and sophomore Mackenzie Barricklow each contributed 10 points. As a team Geneva shot 35% from the floor, but the Golden Tornadoes knocked down 17-of-47 (36%) from deep to pull away. Thiel was led by Destiny Johnson, who finished with 22 points and 28 rebounds.
Geneva has a quick turnaround as the women head to Grove City on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.
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).
