GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Geneva College women's basketball team dropped its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener on Wednesday night at Grove City, falling to the Wolverines 79-63. Geneva is now 1-4 overall this season, 0-1 in the PAC.
Grove City scored the first four points of the game before Geneva responded with a quick ten-point burst. Sophomore Destanie McCullough and senior Emily Garvin both hit buckets close to the rim, and then sophomore Alexandra Cozzens and junior Aizlyn Thompson knocked down back-to-back three-pointers.
The Wolverines managed to pull even late in the first quarter, but a bucket from McCullough at the buzzer gave Geneva a 17-15 edge at the first break.
Another three-pointer from Thompson early in the second quarter pushed the Geneva lead to 22-18, but Grove City responded with 11 straight points to grab a 29-22 advantage. The Golden Tornadoes struggled with fouls in the second period, and at the half Grove City led 43-32 behind an 18-2 advantage in free throw attempts.
The women came out with a burst in the second half, spurred on by strong shooting from the perimeter. Garvin opened the half with a traditional three-point play, and then sophomore Arionna White, senior Anna Ulmer and freshman Kassandra Garcia all hit from deep. Then, with two minutes left in the third quarter, a bucket from Garvin pulled Geneva even at 50-50.
Unfortunately, Grove City regained control over the final 12 minutes of the game as Geneva's perimeter shooting went cold. The Wolverines followed with a 15-5 run to regain a double-digit lead, and the Golden Tornadoes couldn't respond over the final six minutes in falling 79-63.
Garvin led the team with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Cozzens added 10 points and eight rebounds. As a team the women shot 24-of-67 (31.6%) from the floor, 10-of-41 (24.4%) from three-point range.
Grove City's Meredith Sherrerd led the Wolverines with 19 points. Grove City shot 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the floor and finished 20-of-30 from the foul line, compared to just 5-of-9 for Geneva. The Wolverines also held a 52-41 edge on the boards.
Geneva will try to rebound on Saturday when the women host Allegheny at 1:00 p.m. for their home opener of the season, after opening with five straight games on the road.
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).
