WASHINGTON, Pa. - For the first time in school history, Geneva College's women's basketball team is advancing to the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship game. They pulled off a highly improbable upset over the #1-seed Washington and Jefferson College, winning 89-75 to break a 27-game losing streak to the Presidents. The women now prepare to head down to Chatham University on Saturday afternoon to take on the Cougars for the PAC title.
A three-pointer from junior Taylor Milroy and a layup from senior Cynthia Milroy immediately afterward gave Geneva its first lead of the game, 5-4. The two sides then proceeded to trade baskets until a relentless 17-4 run from W&J put the Presidents in front 26-15 heading into the second quarter.
Sophomore Bailee Fletcher sank a layup at the beginning of the frame to cut W&J's lead back to single digits, and after a couple of Presidents' baskets the GTs put together a nice 10-2 run capped off by a Taylor Milroy three to make the score 31-27 in favor of the hosts. W&J responded well, however, hitting multiple shots down the stretch of the first half to take a 41-32 lead into the break.
Down nine points at the start of the second half, with the season on the line, the Golden Tornadoes started to get hot. Spurred by a couple of nice shots from senior Mia San Nicolas, the women put together an impressive 17-7 run that took up most of the period. Another layup and a three-pointer from San Nicolas toward the end of the quarter put her total in the frame at 12 points and tied the score at 58, where it would remain till the buzzer signaled the final quarter break.
Geneva scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, a run that would end up setting the tone for the remainder of the game. Buckets from both Milroy women put the GTs in control, but the Presidents would not back down. Trailing by seven, W&J stormed back to the take the lead, 68-67, and the momentum seemed to have shifted back in favor of the hosts. The Golden Tornadoes absorbed the hit and responded with a knockout punch in the form of 16 unanswered points in a two-minute span. Seven of those came from junior Mackenzie Barricklow, who ended up having one of her best offensive efforts of the season. The women hit their free throws down the stretch and won the game by a final score of 89-75.
Taylor Milroy and San Nicolas led the women offensively in the win, scoring 24 and 23 points, respectively. San Nicolas also pulled down a team-best 12 rebounds. Barricklow contributed 16 crucial points to tie her career-high, and Cynthia Milroy rounded out the double-digit scorers with ten points of her own. The Golden Tornadoes shot an impressive 53% from the field in the second half and were a perfect 20-for-20 from the charity stripe, with 13 of their free throws coming in the fourth quarter.
Adalynn Cherry led W&J with 20 points, and Meghan Dryburgh had 10 rebounds in what will most likely be the Presidents' final game of the season.
The PAC Championship game will take place at 4:00 pm this Saturday at Chatham University, since the #2-seed Cougars have hosting rights by virtue of their more successful conference record. Geneva will look to complete one final upset and claim the first conference title in school history. The winner of Saturday's game will book a trip to the NCAA National Championship Tournament, scheduled to begin next weekend.
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).
