BETHANY, W. Va. - The Golden Tornadoes couldn't ride a hot start shooting the basketball to a win, as they lost a close one to the Bethany College Bison Saturday afternoon. Geneva led for the majority of the game, but a spectacular fourth quarter from the Bison gave the GTs the loss and cut their record to 11-13 overall, 10-9 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Meanwhile, Bethany leapfrogs Geneva in the PAC standings and moves to 12-11 overall, 10-8 in conference play.
The women got off to a hot start shooting, with early triples from senior Mia San Nicolas and freshman Aizlyn Thompson pushing Geneva in front 10-2 less than three minutes into the game. Bethany's offense was a little slow to start, but once it got going the Bison were able to put together an impressive 15-2 run to take a five-point lead. Junior Mackenzie Barricklow knocked down a three to bring the GTs within two, and then another three-pointer from Thompson just a few minutes later gave the lead back to Geneva, 20-18. The women went into the quarter break leading 25-22 after shooting 5-for-7 from behind the arc in the first frame.
Junior Taylor Milroy buried a deep three to open the second quarter, and she and her senior sister-in-law Cynthia Milroy combined to score the first nine points of the frame for Geneva. Thompson struck again from distance halfway through the quarter to push the Golden Tornadoes' lead to double digits, 39-29. The GTs continued to shoot it well as a team, and their lead grew to as much as 14 before the quarter ended. Taylor Milroy went 3-for-3 from three-point range in the second quarter alone to lead Geneva to a 47-37 lead at the half.
Milroy stayed hot at the beginning of the second half, adding two more threes to her stat sheet while giving the GTs a 14-point lead. A layup from San Nicolas 4 minutes into the quarter made the score 57-41, but Bethany began to climb back into it. The Bison went on a 19-7 run over the course of the next five minutes to come back within four points, but another Thompson three-pointer that bounced around the rim before going in put the Golden Tornadoes in front 67-60 with one quarter to play.
Despite a solid three quarters of play for Geneva, all it took was one incredible quarter from the Bison to snatch up the victory. Bethany outscored the Golden Tornadoes 37-21 in the final frame, and despite another terrific quarter from Taylor Milroy Geneva was not able to hang on for the win, losing the game 97-88.
Taylor Milroy finished with a career-high 37 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the three-point line and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. Her 37 points are tied for fourth-most in school history, and her seven made threes are tied for second-most. San Nicolas finished with an impressive double-double, her twelfth of the season, posting 16 points and 15 rebounds to go along with six blocks. Thompson also finished with double-digit points, scoring 12. The women shot 43.3% from beyond the arc as a team, including a very impressive 9-for-15 in the first half.
Bethany had four players score in double digits. Lindsey Garrison led the charge with 28 points off the bench.
The Golden Tornadoes are back home for their final game of the regular season when they take on Westminster on Wednesday. Their playoff fate has yet to be decided, and they will most likely need a win in their final match to get into the PAC playoffs.
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).
