ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Geneva College women's basketball team fell short in a second-half comeback against Mount Union on Wednesday night, losing the 2022-23 season opener, 89-75. 

The Golden Tornadoes struggled over the first two quarters with a 50-24 deficit at the half. But Geneva started the third quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the Mount Union lead to 50-34. Junior Mia San Nicolas started the run with a layup, followed by three-pointers by senior Tess Liggett and senior Isabella Roth. San Nicolas added another layup with 8:02 left in the quarter to cap the run. 

The teams continued to swap backets with Mount Union taking a 62-45 lead before sophomore Mackenzie Barricklow and sophomore Taylor Haring hit key free throws to close the deficit to 62-49. Geneva outscored Mount Union 29-17 in the third quarter. 

Despite a 9-0 run by the Purple Raiders early in the fourth quarter, 82-57, Geneva continued to battle going on its on 11-0 run to cut the lead down to 82-68. Haring contributed the final six points of the run with less than three minutes left in the game. Geneva played a stronger second half taking a 51-39 advantage over the final 20 minutes of competition. 

San Nicolas led the Golden Tornadoes with 18 points, while Roth and Haring also hit double-digits with 17 and 14 points, respectively. San Nicolas and junior Emily Bucheit grabbed 10 rebounds each to lead the defensive effort. 

Geneva's next action will be on the road at the Hope College Tournament, Friday-Saturday, November 11-12. The Golden Tornadoes will face NCAA III defending national champion Hope College at 6 p.m. on Friday. Saturday's opponent will be Concordia (Wisc.) or Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday at 1 p.m.