BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva women's basketball team played a very close game against Franciscan University on Saturday afternoon, edging out the Barons late to win the contest 85-77. Junior Emily Garvin scored a career-best 33 points in the win to lead the way for the GTs. With the victory, the women now stand at 8-7 overall this season, 5-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Franciscan drops to 1-15 overall, 1-10 in PAC play.

Junior Anna Ulmer scored the first points for Geneva, knocking down a long two-pointer in the first minute. The women turned to Garvin at that point, who drove relentlessly to basket and got three layups to show for it over the next two minutes. A three-ball from senior Abby Shoaff put Geneva in front 11-9, but Franciscan remained close. Two lay-ins down the stretch from sophomore Monica Lammie, with one Garvin bucket in between them, allowed the Golden Tornadoes to close the quarter well and go into the first quarter up 17-15.

The Barons began the second frame with a three-pointer on their first possession to seize the lead, but freshman Jessie Moon put the women back in front with a basket in transition. Another trey made by Shoaff gave the GTs a five-point lead, their largest of the afternoon to that point, but Franciscan responded well, scoring 13 consecutive points to completely flip the script. With Geneva down by eight, Ulmer gave the women a little jolt, hitting a three-pointer to bring the deficit down to three points. A three-ball from sophomore Aizlyn Thompson on the next possession made it a one-point game, and Geneva was able to get back in front before the halftime whistle, 42-41, thanks to some end-of-period free throws.

Thompson drilled a three-pointer on the Golden Tornadoes' opening possession of the second half, jump-starting an 8-2 Geneva run to start the third quarter. She knocked down another three with 6:40 to play in the period to put the women up 55-47. The two sides went back-and-forth over the next two minutes of play, but Franciscan closed the frame on an 8-1 run to tie the contest at 62-62 heading into the final period.

Geneva came of the quarter break with four straight buckets, three of them coming off the hand of Garvin. That surge gave the women a distinct momentum advantage through the remainder of the quarter, and the Barons struggled to get back in it. Whenever the visitors scored a basket, it seemed as though Geneva was there to respond. A three-pointer from Shoaff gave the GTs their first double-digit lead of the game with 2:21 to play, and the women closed it out from there, winning 85-77.

Garvin scored a career-best 33 points to lead the team, including 14 in the fourth quarter alone. She added 12 rebounds and six assists as well to fill her stat sheet. Thompson finished with 14 points and four steals to provide the women with a nice scoring alternative to Garvin, and Shoaff posted 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from distance. Ulmer contributed 10 points as well, with senior Mackenzie Barricklow corralling a career-high 15 rebounds. Freshman Destanie McCullough also played well, recording six steals and five assists in the win. Maria McCallen led the Barons with 34 points, while Jazzlyn Melnyk pulled down 17 rebounds.

The women are on the road twice next week, with games against Thiel on Wednesday and Waynesburg on Saturday. Wednesday's tilt against the Tomcats is scheduled for 5:00 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).