BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team put together one of its better performances of the season on Saturday afternoon against Grove City, though it ultimately came in a losing effort. The Golden Tornadoes hung with the talented Wolverines all game but saw Grove City pull out a victory in the end, 95-85. Geneva dropped to 3-15 overall, 3-10 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Grove City improved to 9-8, 9-3 in the PAC.
Sophomore Mackenzie Barricklow opened the game with a layup, and the teams' alternated buckets for the next several minutes. The Wolverines used a 6-2 run late in the first quarter to take a 20-14 lead, but a jumper from junior Cynthia Stewart and a three-pointer and jumper from sophomore Taylor Haring gave the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 21-20.
Grove City regained the lead early in the second quarter, scoring six straight points midway through the quarter to build a 37-29 lead, and the Wolverines held a similar lead going into the break, 49-42.
Geneva opened the second half well. A jumper from Haring, a layup from Stewart and a three-pointer from Barricklow pulled the Golden Tornadoes within 51-49. Grove City held onto the lead, though, until a layup from Barricklow pulled Geneva level at 63-63 with 3:44 left in the third quarter. However, the Wolverines finished the quarter with a flourish, using a 13-5 run to take a 76-68 lead into the final break.
Once again, though, the Golden Tornadoes opened the quarter well. A layup from Barricklow and a layup and a three-pointer from junior Mia San Nicolas pulled Geneva within 77-75 with seven minutes remaining. Grove City answered with seven straight points to build back an 84-75 edge. The Golden Tornadoes battled the final five minutes, but foul trouble hampered Geneva over the remaining minutes, and the Golden Tornadoes couldn't pull closer than six points the rest of game, falling 95-85.
San Nicolas led four players in double figures with 22 points. Barricklow had a season-best 16 points, Haring added 11 points and Stewart finished with 10 points. Geneva shot 32-of-72 (44%) from the floor, 9-of-32 (28%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornadoes couldn't find an answer from Grove City's leading scorer, Megan Kallock, who finished with 35 points. The Wolverines took advantage of a big disparity at the foul line, shooting twice as many free throws as Geneva and finishing with 14 more points at the stripe.
Geneva will finish up a long stretch at home on Wednesday when the women host Allegheny at 7:00 p.m.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
