STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The Geneva College women's basketball team continued its recent strong play with an 86-75 victory at Franciscan on Saturday afternoon, a game in which the Golden Tornadoes led from start to finish. The win was Geneva's second straight and improved its record to 5-15 overall, 5-10 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
Geneva opened the game with back-to-back three-pointers from sophomores Taylor Haring and Mackenzie Barricklow. Franciscan closed within one point, 6-5, before another Geneva spurt occurred. Freshman Bailee Fletcher hit back-to-back baskets, freshman Madi Matthews scored, and then freshman Hailey Carroll finished things off with a three-pointer to give the Golden Tornadoes a 15-5 lead five minutes into the game.
The women maintained that lead for much of the half, extending their lead to 36-22 midway through the second quarter after Matthews hit back-to-back three-pointers. However, Geneva did not score over the final five minutes of the half allowing Franciscan to pull within 36-28 at the break.
The Barons scored the first two buckets of the second half to pull within four points, but back-to-back three-pointers from junior Cynthia Stewart and Matthews pushed the lead back to ten points. Franciscan chipped away at its deficit, though, over the next six minutes, eventually pulling within 50-48 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. Stewart answered with another three-pointer, and after a Franciscan bucket, Haring knocked down a three-pointer and another bucket, followed by a layup from Barricklow. That run gave Geneva a cushion it would never give away.
Geneva pushed its lead to 70-56 on another three-pointer from Haring early in the fourth quarter. The Barons managed to pull within 79-73 with two minutes left, but the Golden Tornadoes never lost control and made their free throws down the stretch to win 86-75.
Matthews led the team with a career-high 18 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from deep. Haring was right behind with 17 points, including an impressive 5-of-6 effort from three-point range. Fletcher added 13 points, while senior Isabella Roth and junior Mia San Nicolas each added 10 points in a balanced offensive attack.
The women were particularly effective from deep, making 13-of-32 (40.6%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornado pressure led to 26 Franciscan turnovers. San Nicolas just missed another double-double with nine rebounds, while Stewart finished with a season-best six steals.
The women will have a week off before returning to action next Saturday when they host Waynesburg at 1:00 p.m. inside Metheny Fieldhouse.
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).
