BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team finished the first half of its game against Waynesburg on Wednesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse with a big scoring flurry, allowing the Golden Tornadoes to run away from the Yellow Jackets on their way to a 77-52 victory. Geneva improved to 10-11 overall, 9-7 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
Freshman Madison Kibler opened the game with a three-pointer, and buckets from freshman Aizlyn Thompson and senior Mia San Nicolas gave the women a quick 7-2 lead less than two minutes into the game. Geneva managed hold that lead for the rest of the quarter, but the offense slowed down as the Yellow Jackets pulled within 14-11 at the first break.
Waynesburg had the better of the play early in the second quarter, taking its first lead of the game, 16-14. The teams traded buckets over the next minute before Waynesburg went cold, while Geneva finally started to find the range. A bucket from Kibler, a free throw from San Nicolas and a three-pointer from junior Abby Shoaff gave the Golden Tornadoes six quick points, and Geneva never trailed again. In fact, the women outscored Waynesburg 22-5 over the final eight minutes of the half, turning a close game into a 38-23 Geneva edge at the break. San Nicolas scored 13 points in the first half.
Waynesburg never cut the lead below double digits the rest of the game. Geneva's defensive pressure forced several Yellow Jacket turnovers, which led to scoring opportunities for the women on the other end. A three-point barrage late in the third quarter put the game away. Thompson hit back-to-back three-pointers, followed by a long-range shot from sophomore Bailee Fletcher, to extend the Geneva lead to 60-34 late in the quarter.
The Geneva advantage stretched as high as 30 points, 77-47, on another three-pointer from Shoaff midway through the fourth quarter, and the Golden Tornadoes easily closed out the victory, 77-52.
San Nicolas again paced the offense, finishing with another double-double, 20 points and 12 rebounds, while also blocking four shots. Thompson was the only other Golden Tornado in double figures, finishing with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. In total, eleven different players scored for the women. Geneva also forced 27 Yellow Jacket turnovers.
Waynesburg shot just 12-of-58 (20.7%) from the floor, including just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from three-point range.
The win sets up a huge game on Saturday for the women, who host Saint Vincent at 1:00 p.m. Geneva is currently in a three-way tie with Westminster and Grove City for one of the final two playoff spots. Saint Vincent is one game ahead of that group, while Bethany is one game behind.
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).
