GROVE CITY, Pa. – In a game that went back-and-forth for much of the afternoon, the Geneva College women's basketball team couldn't pull out a late win at Grove City on Saturday, falling 83-78 in an evenly matched contest.  Geneva dropped to 1-2 overall, 1-1 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Grove City improved to 2-2, 1-1 in the PAC.

Things started well for the ladies, led by three early steals from senior Cynthia Milroy.  Milroy opened the scoring with a bucket off one of those steals, while junior Mackenzie Barricklow knocked down a three-pointer to give the Golden Tornadoes a quick 5-0 lead.

Geneva eventually stretched its lead to ten points, 21-11, after six quick points to open the second quarter courtesy two layups from Milroy and two free throws from senior Mia San Nicolas.  The Golden Tornadoes may have caught an unfortunate break, though, when a minute later the fire alarm in Grove City's gymnasium went off, forcing everyone to evacuate the gym for 15 minutes until security cleared everyone to return.

Grove City had the better of the play when the two teams resumed action, using a 14-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 25-23, midway through the second quarter.  Three-pointers by freshmen Aizlyn Thompson and Madison Kibler gave Geneva the lead back, 31-27, but the Wolverines finished the half with a big surge.  Over the final three minutes of the second quarter, Grove City outscored Geneva 14-3 to take a 41-34 lead into the break.

San Nicolas opened the third quarter with a bucket before Grove City pushed its lead out to 45-36, its biggest of the game, and appeared ready to take control.  The women battled back, though, with seven quick points to pull within two points.  The Wolverines answered with six straight to regain a 51-43 lead as the momentum swung back and forth.  Geneva responded with its best stretch of the game, though, scoring 11 straight points to retake the lead, 54-51.  San Nicolas and senior Emily Bucheit capped the run off with back-to-back three-pointers.

After Geneva's surge, it was Grove City's turn to answer back.  The Wolverines answered with a 9-2 run into the fourth quarter to retake the lead, 60-56.  The Golden Tornadoes once again had an answer, though.  San Nicolas scored a free throw, Kibler knocked down two at the stripe, San Nicolas converted a three-point play, junior Taylor Milroy drained a long-range shot, and after Barricklow knocked down two free throws, Geneva led 67-62 with just under six minutes remaining.

However, Geneva couldn't hang on.  Grove City began to find success attack the Golden Tornado full-court pressure, and the women couldn't get stops down the stretch.  Geneva tried to hang close, with a layup from Cynthia Milroy pulling the women within 80-78 with 22 seconds remaining, but Grove City was able to hold off a late Geneva charge to win, 83-78.

San Nicolas again led the offense, scoring 22 points while grabbing nine rebounds.  Barricklow finished with a season-best 14 points, while Cythnia and Taylor Milroy each added 12 points.  Kibler again gave the women a spark off the bench, finishing with nine points.  Geneva shot just 35% from the floor, including an 8-of-27 (29%) effort from long range. 

Grove City finished the game shooting 43% from the floor.  The Wolverines won the game in large part due to their work at the foul line, shooting 23-of-26 (89%), and by outrebounding Geneva 53-40.

The women will try to rebound on Tuesday when Geneva heads to Chatham for another road game, this one starting at 6:00 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).