BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team put together another strong performance on Wednesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse, and this one led to victory behind a big performance from junior Mia San Nicolas, with the Golden Tornadoes knocking off Allegheny 81-74. Geneva improved to 4-15 overall, 4-10 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Allegheny dropped to 10-9 overall, 9-5 in the PAC.
The women entered its game with the Gators playing its best basketball of the season, and despite Allegheny coming in as one of the top four teams in the conference, Geneva never backed down. Sophomore Mackenzie Barricklow opened the game with a bucket, and after seven quick points from Allegheny, freshman Hailey Carroll knocked down two baskets to pull the ladies even at 7-7.
Allegheny put together another spurt to take its biggest lead of the game, 17-10, with two minutes remaining in the first quarter, and the Gators still maintained a 27-22 lead with five minutes left in the half before the Golden Tornadoes closed the quarter well. Sophomore Taylor Haring got the run started with a three-pointer, San Nicolas followed with a three-point play, and after two Gator points, junior Emily Bucheit scored, followed by back-to-back three-pointers from senior Isabella Roth. That run allowed Geneva to take a 38-32 lead into the break.
Allegheny had the better of the play in the third quarter. After an early three-pointer from sophomore Abby Shoaff pushed the Geneva advantage to seven points, 41-34, the Gators scored eight straight points to retake the lead. A three-pointer from Barricklow gave the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, but a 10-4 Allegheny run over the final two minutes of the third quarter gave the Gators a 58-55 edge going into the final quarter.
Allegheny pushed its lead to five points on the first possession of the fourth quarter, but Geneva responded with its best stretch of the game, led entirely by San Nicolas and junior Cynthia Stewart. Back-to-back layups in transition from Stewart got the run started that last five minutes and saw Geneva string together a 17-2 stretch. Stewart had nine points and San Nicolas eight points, giving the women a 72-62 lead with 4:30 left in the game. Allegheny never got closer than five points the rest of the way as the Golden Tornadoes made enough free throws down the stretch to put the game away, 81-74.
San Nicolas finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Stewart added 13 points and Haring 10 points for the women. Geneva shot 30-of-74 (41%) from the floor and 6-of-17 (35%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornadoes took good care of the ball, committing just 10 turnovers, a season low, while forcing 20 Gator turnovers.
Geneva will head to Franciscan on Saturday looking for its second straight victory. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 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).
