WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva women's basketball team held their own against the conference-leading W&J Presidents Saturday afternoon, only trailing by one point at the half, but they eventually lost 94-66. The hosts pulled away in the second half after struggling to break Geneva's press through the first two quarters. The loss sends the GTs' record to 3-10 overall and 0-4 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play; meanwhile, the Presidents move to 9-4 overall and remain undefeated through four conference games.

Senior Anna Ulmer opened the scoring for both teams with a three-pointer in the first minute. The women immediately went into their full-court press, and the Presidents struggled to break through as senior Emily Garvin stole the ball and scored a short jumper to make the score 5-0. Sophomore Arionna White knocked down a triple a minute later, and following two quick layups by Ulmer and Garvin the GTs led 12-8.

After being confounded by the press for the first few minutes, the hosts got their bearings and proceeded to put together a 14-2 run over the next three and a half minutes. The Golden Tornadoes responded well though, with freshman Kassandra Garcia scoring eight points in the final two minutes to pull Geneva within one point at the quarter break, 25-24.

The second quarter was much lower scoring on both sides. Garvin hit a layup to give the women the lead early in frame, and the two teams traded the advantage over the next several minutes. W&J could not get a shot to fall for much of the quarter, going just 2-for-17 across the period, but foul trouble for Geneva allowed the hosts to hit 8-of-10 free throw attempts. The Presidents maintained their one-point edge, leading 38-37 at the half.

Unfortunately for Geneva, the hosts began to pull away in the third quarter, opening the frame on a 10-3 run. A three-pointer by junior Aizlyn Thompson pulled the Golden Tornadoes within five points at the 6:34 mark, but W&J outscored Geneva 16-7 through the rest of the period to take control of the game. The women struggled to hit their shots in the fourth quarter and were unable to make a comeback as the Presidents went on to win 94-66.

Garvin was the top performer for the GTs in the loss, putting up 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. White was the only other Tornado to score in double figures, registering 13 points to go along with three boards and two assists. Ulmer finished with a team-high seven rebounds.

Stellanie Loutsion and Katie Kovalchick were the primary contributors for the Presidents, scoring 21 points apiece to lead W&J to victory.

The women will play twice next week, starting with a road game at Thiel College on Wednesday, January 14^th at 5:30 p.m. They will then return home for a contest against Waynesburg the following Saturday.

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).