CINCINATTI, Ohio – It was a battle all the way to the finish for the Geneva women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, but the Golden Tornadoes wound up dropping their game 83-75 against the hosts, Mount St. Joseph, on day two of the Lauren Hill Tip-off Classic. The GTs held the lead heading into the fourth quarter, but were outscored by the Lions by 13 points in the final frame, falling to 1-2 on the season with the loss.

Sophomore Destanie McCullough and senior Emily Garvin both hit jumpers for Geneva in the opening minute of the first quarter, and a three-pointer two possessions later by junior Aizlyn Thompson gave the women an early 7-2 edge. Sophomore Alexandra Cozzens came off the bench and scored two quick buckets to push that advantage to 11-6, and the difference remained around that margin for the next several minutes.

A three-pointer from freshman Kassandra Garcia gave Geneva a 17-11 lead toward the end of the first quarter, and then a jump shot by sophomore Arionna White a few minutes later gave the GTs their largest lead of the half at nine points. The Lions quickly narrowed the gap, however, and managed to work their way all the way back to take a one-point lead heading into halftime, 38-37.

The women responded well, scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter behind an offensive surge from Cozzens, who netted ten of them. Up ten points for the first time all game, the Golden Tornadoes continued to control the play, maintaining a two-possession lead for almost the entire quarter. Mount St. Joseph drew even very briefly at one point, but a three-ball from Cozzens and a layup by Garvin put Geneva back ahead 63-58 heading into the final period.

It was the Lions turn for a big run to start the fourth quarter, as the hosts rattled off ten straight points to seize the lead while keeping the GTs scoreless through the first four minutes of the frame. A Thompson three-pointer brought Geneva back within two points, 68-66, but that was the closest the women would get the rest of the way as Mount St. Joseph continued to score, winning the game by eight points in the end, 83-75.

Cozzens put together one of the best games of her young career, finishing with 27 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five blocks in the loss. Garvin was the only other Geneva player to put double-digits in the scoring column, registering 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with five assists despite being in foul trouble for much of the game.

Morgan Jenkins and Sam Price were the top scorers for the hosts, netting 20 and 19 points, respectively. Karlee Mills also had a nice performance with 13 points and six steals. Free throw shooting proved to be a difference-maker, as the Lions sank 21 of their 30 attempts from the line (70%) compared to just 8-of-17 (47%) for the GTs.

The women will play just once more before beginning Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) competition, traveling to Mount Union on Tuesday, November 25^th for a 7:00 p.m. game with the Purple Raiders.

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).