STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – It was a struggle for most of the night for the Geneva College women's basketball team at winless Franciscan on Wednesday evening, but sophomore Cynthia Stewart (Silver Springs, Md./Point Branch) and junior Mia San Nicolas (Sinajana, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) rallied the Golden Tornadoes late to help Geneva knock off the Barons, 70-67. Geneva improved to 8-11 overall, 7-7 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Franciscan dropped to 0-18 overall, 0-12 in the PAC.
The game opened well for Geneva, as sophomore Anna Hampshire (Lincoln University, Pa./Oxford Area) and junior Isabella Roth (Ellwood City, Pa./Ellwood City) hit three-pointers to open the game, with the Golden Tornadoes jumping out to a quick 10-3 lead. However, the Golden Tornadoes began to struggle with turnovers, and the Barons took advantage to pull even at 11-11 before sophomore Abby King (New Geneva, Pa./Albert-Gallatin) knocked down a three-pointer to help Geneva take a 16-14 lead at the first break.
Stewart hit a bucket and two free throws to extend the Geneva lead to 20-14 two minutes into the second quarter. A King jumper five minutes into the period kept the Golden Tornado lead at 24-19. However, Franciscan scored the next seven points to take its first lead of the game, and the Barons carried that momentum into the break holding a 33-29 lead.
The Golden Tornadoes struggled to get their offense going for most of the third quarter, and Franciscan led virtually the whole period, taking its biggest lead of the game, 47-39, with 2:32 left in the quarter. Geneva put together its best stretch of the game, though, over the final minutes of the quarter. King hit a jumper and a three-pointer to pull Geneva within three points, and San Nicolas closed out the quarter with a three-point play and a bucket to pull the Golden Tornadoes even at 49-49.
The momentum didn't carry into the fourth quarter, though, as Geneva didn't score for over four minutes to start the period, allowing Franciscan to take a 54-49 lead before a layup from sophomore Emily Bucheit (Kane, Pa./Kane) finally broke the ice. A three-pointer by Bucheit a minute later pulled Geneva even again. Two minutes later, a layup from San Nicolas with 2:50 remaining gave Geneva its first lead, 60-59, since early in the second quarter.
Franciscan hit a free throw to tie the score back up, but Stewart hit a driving layup with 1:53 left to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead for good. After a Geneva stop, Stewart hit a huge three-pointer from the corner to extend the Golden Tornado lead to 65-60 with 1:25 remaining. Stewart and San Nicolas then hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to allow Geneva to hold on for a 70-67 victory.
Stewart led the team with 23 points while also adding seven rebounds, seven steals, and four assists. San Nicolas added another double-double to her ledger this season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while King added 10 points and seven rebounds. As a team Geneva shot just 33.3% from the floor, including 6-of-26 (23.1%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornadoes finished with 25 turnovers but won the battle of the boards, 47-45.
Franciscan finished the game shooting 35.9% from the floor, including 8-of-24 (33.3%) from long range. The Barons committed 28 turnovers and were led by Felicia MacGillivray's game-high 26 points.
Geneva will be back in action on Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes host first-place W&J at 1:00 p.m. on Senior Day.
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).
