PITTSBURGH, Pa. – It was a tremendous playoff run for the Geneva College women's basketball team, who defeated fourth-seeded Allegheny and first-seeded W&J on the road in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs this week, but the ladies' run ended in the PAC Championship at second-seeded Chatham when their shots wouldn't fall, succumbing 77-50. Geneva ends its season at 14-14 overall, while Chatham moves on to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
It had been an exhilarating week for the women, who had never advanced beyond the PAC Quarterfinals before this week, and Geneva entered Saturday's championship match with its confidence high after its two impressive road performances. Unfortunately, the Golden Tornadoes were ice cold on Saturday afternoon.
The opening possession of the game proved to be a sign of things to come. Geneva took six shots while grabbing five offensive rebounds, and not a single shot would drop despite some good looks. Chatham quickly took advantage of Geneva's cold shooting by scoring the first seven points of the game while watching the Golden Tornadoes miss their first 14 shots from the floor. A free throw by senior Cynthia Milroy finally got Geneva on the board as Chatham jumped ahead 9-1 three minutes in.
Sophomore Bailee Fletcher finally broke the lid off the hoops with a layup midway through the first quarter, but it did little to turn things around. Back-to-back three-pointers from Chatham's Hannah Chenault extended the Cougar lead to 19-3 six minutes into the game, putting Geneva in a huge hole to climb out from.
Geneva played evenly for the remainder of the half, despite hitting just five of their first 31 shots from the floor. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Chatham led 38-22.
Geneva came out of the break with better play early in the third quarter. Midway through the quarter, a jumper from junior Taylor Milroy, a layup from senior Mia San Nicolas and a three-pointer from junior Mackenzie Barricklow brought the Golden Tornadoes withing 42-34 just under five minutes into the second half. However, Chatham answered with seven straight points over the next minute, and Cougars eventually extended their run to 13-1 to effectively put the game out of reach, 55-35, just before the end of the quarter.
A pair of free throws from both Taylor and Cynthia Milroy cut the deficit to 62-47 four minutes into the final quarter, but Chatham closed the game on a 15-3 run to finish off their championship victory, 77-50.
Taylor Milroy led the team with 14 points, while Mackenzie Barricklow added 11 points for the ladies. Fletcher and Cynthia Milroy each added nine points. The final shooting numbers told the tale of the game. Geneva hit 17-of-65 (26.2%) from the floor, 6-of-29 (20.7%) from three-point range, and 10-of-18 (55.6%) from the foul line. The Golden Tornadoes held a big advantage on the boards, 56-42, but the women committed 27 turnovers against the Chatham defensive pressure. San Nicolas and Taylor Milroy were named to the All-Tournament team for their play during Geneva's three postseason games.
The Cougars finished the game 30-of-69 (43.5%) from the floor and had three players in double figures, led by Louden's 23 points. Chatham committed just 13 turnovers.
Despite the tough finish, the season has been one of significant improvement for the women's program. Geneva broke long losing streaks to Grove City and W&J while advancing farther in the PAC playoffs than the women ever have before.
Head Coach Michael Grinder will have some big holes to fill next season with the graduation of San Nicolas, Cynthia Milroy and Emily Bucheit, who have been significant contributors to the program throughout their careers. Geneva should have several underclassmen returning, though, that will be the foundation for next year's squad.
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).
