BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team's recent struggles continued on Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes saw Bethany pull away in the second half for an 83-67 victory inside Metheny Fieldhouse. Geneva dropped to 2-12 overall, 2-7 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Bethany improved to 4-11, 4-6 in the PAC.
The first half was a game of runs. Junior Cynthia Stewart scored the first two buckets of the game before Bethany answered with nine straight points. Geneva responded with seven straight points to retake the lead, 11-9, and the Golden Tornadoes still led 14-12 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter before the Bison scored the next six points to take an 18-14 lead at the first break.
Geneva opened the second quarter, though, with eight straight points on baskets from four different players, giving the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 22-18. The game went back-and-forth over the next several minutes. Geneva still led 29-27 on a layup from sophomore Taylor Haring with two minutes left before halftime before Bethany scored the next eight points and took a 35-31 lead into the break.
Things never got going in the second half for Geneva. Bethany opened the second half with five straight points, and the Golden Tornadoes could never get their offense started. The Bison slowly extended their lead throughout the quarter, eventually taking a 62-43 lead at the final break. Geneva closed within 12 points late, 79-67, but it was too late as Bethany finished out the 83-67 victory.
Junior Mia San Nicolas led the team again with 17 points and nine rebounds. Haring added 16 points and Stewart 13 points for the Golden Tornadoes. Geneva shot just 25-of-65 (38%) from the floor and 5-of-27 (18%) from three-point range, and the Golden Tornadoes were outrebounded 53-34. Bethany also was much better from deep, hitting 14-of-36 (39%) from three-point range.
Geneva will try to get back into the win column on Wednesday when the women host Thiel at 5:30 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).
