AKRON, Ohio – The Geneva women's basketball program wrapped up the semester with an exhibition game at Division I University of Akron Tuesday night, falling to the Zips 100-65. The women played well for the first half before seeing the hosts pull away as the contest wore on. Due to the game's exhibition status, it will not count toward Geneva's overall record. The Golden Tornadoes will head into the break at 3-5 on the year.

The Zips hit a free throw on their first possession for the first point of the game, but the GTs responded with two three-pointers by junior Aizlyn Thompson and a layup from senior Emily Garvin to snag an early 8-1 edge. Akron settled down at that point, playing Geneva even, but the women were able to maintain their advantage with a triple by junior Ava Sellers, which gave the Golden Tornadoes a five-point lead, 13-8, halfway through the first quarter.

Akron began to drive into the paint more, however, and through a combination of layups and foul shots they managed to take a 24-19 advantage into the quarter break despite two late jumpers by Geneva sophomore Destanie McCullough.

Akron opened the second quarter on an 11-2 scoring run to seize its first double-digit advantage of the night, but consecutive treys by Sellers and freshman Kassandra Garcia allowed the women to cut the deficit back down to eight points. The two sides battled for the rest of the half, trading buckets back-and-forth, but the Zips crept ahead slightly, leading 48-34 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

The hosts opened the third quarter on another run, scoring ten straight points out of the break, but Garvin put an end to the run with a driving layup. Senior Anna Ulmer knocked down a three-point shot immediately afterward to bring Geneva within 19 points, but that was the last time the difference dipped below 20. Garvin continued to drive into the paint successfully, but the Zips controlled the remainder of the game, eventually winning 100-65.

Garvin scored a team-high 15 points in the exhibition, notching eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals as well. Thompson was another bright spot, shooting efficiently all night long with 12 points on a 4-for-6 effort from long range. As a team, Geneva shot just 24-for-71 (33.8%) from the field, including 12-for-36 (33.3%) from distance. Ni'Rah Clark was the top player for the Zips, registering 21 points and 11 boards in 31 minutes off the bench.

Tuesday's game was the final one of the semester for the GTs, who are off for the next two weeks for winter break. They will return to action on Monday, December 29^th when they travel to Viriginia to participate in the Susan Dunagan Holiday Classic at Roanoke College.

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).