BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva women's basketball team returned to action with an impressive win to start the New Year, beating Westminster College 87-70 on Saturday afternoon. Junior Emily Garvin, the GTs' top player last semester, picked up right where she left off with 26 points in just three quarters, and Geneva's bench played out the final period en route to the Golden Tornadoes' victory. The women's record now stands at 7-5 on the season, 4-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).

Contrary to what the final score would indicate, the two teams played each other very closely through the first two quarters. Garvin and freshman Alexandra Cozzens scored early for Geneva, forcing their way into the paint for points, but the Titans led 11-6 with four minutes to play in the first period. The women went on a quick 10-3 run thanks to some more good post play by Garvin and junior Anna Ulmer, and that allowed the Golden Tornadoes to take their first lead of the game, 16-14. Westminster closed the quarter well, however, and the visitors went into the first break with a 23-18 advantage.

Freshman Destanie McCullough was the first player to score in the second quarter, pulling Geneva within three points, but six consecutive Titan points swung the momentum back toward the visitors. The women were quick to respond with 12 straight points of their own thanks to three-pointers by Ulmer and senior Mackenzie Barricklow, and a Garvin layup made it a three-point game, in favor of the GTs. The two sides swapped buckets for the next few minutes, and Cozzens' late lay-in with five seconds on the clock sent Geneva into the locker room with a 44-43 halftime lead.

The women broke the game open in the third quarter, with Garvin and Cozzens scoring the first 14 points of the second half to give the GTs a commanding lead. Westminster's Katie Maryo, who had an incredible day from behind the arc, knocked down two three-pointers to temporarily stymie Geneva's run, but three-balls by Cozzens and Barricklow midway through the quarter kept the difference right around 15 points. Sophomore Monica Lammie laid one in to give them women their first 20-point lead, 70-50, and despite a couple of baskets from the Titans toward the end of the third quarter, the GTs kept it at 20 points via two late tip-ins from Cozzens, 76-56, heading into the final break.

Geneva opted to rest its starters for much of the fourth quarter, but the bench kept the lead fairly high for most of the frame. Sophomore Aizlyn Thompson knocked down a trey with 4:12 to play to give the women their largest lead of the day, 87-63, and by that point it was far too late for the Titans to mount a comeback. Geneva took the victory 87-70.

Garvin finished with 26 points on 10-14 shooting, playing just 21 minutes in the victory. She added to that scoring mark with five assists and five steals as well, making for a very full stat sheet. Cozzens was second on the team in scoring, putting up career-highs in both points (22) and rebounds (14). Ulmer recorded 12 points and nine rebounds, while Barricklow contributed ten points of her own to go along with eight boards, five of which were offensive. As a team, Geneva shot 35-of-86 (41%) from the field, and outscored the Titans in points off turnovers 34-14. Katie Maryo led the way for Westminster with 26 points, hitting 7-of-12 shots from distance.

The women are on the road for both of their games next week, taking on Grove City on Wednesday, January 8, before facing the Cougars of Chatham University on Saturday, January 11, in a rematch of last year's PAC Championship game. Wednesday's game against the Wolverines is set to begin at 5:30 PM.


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).