Slow Start Costly at Thiel

Greenville, PA – Geneva College head women’s basketball coach Renee Drake thought she made herself clear during her pre-game comments at Thiel College on Saturday afternoon. However, there must have been a miscommunication somewhere because Drake’s main point of starting quickly and gaining momentum fell on deaf ears. Geneva dropped a 73-65 decision to Thiel on Saturday and fell to 4-3 on the season. The Golden Tornadoes surrendered 38 first half points to a team that came into the game scoring just 51 points per game. “We didn’t have a good start at all,” said Drake. “Our shots were falling and it affected us on defense and we just can’t allow that to happen. A combination of poor shot selection and 21 turnovers certainly didn’t help our cause either.

Geneva was looking to extend its win streak to three games but came up on the short end against the Tomcats. Thiel shot 46% from the field in the first half while Geneva managed just nine first half field goals in falling behind 38-20 after 20 minutes. Geneva played much better in the second half especially on the offensive end of the court with its most productive half of the season scoring 45 points. “I was very proud of the effort in the second half,” said Drake. “But playing 40 minutes is the key to winning especially on the road.”

Alysse Scarsella posted her third consecutive double-double with a team best 15 points and 12 rebounds. Beth DeLuca added 12 points with Chelsea D’Urso coming off the bench to add ten points including a pair of three-point field goals. The Golden Tornadoes didn’t have a defensive answer for Thiel’s Byanca Henderson who posted 22 points in just 28 minutes of action.

The Golden Tornadoes will look to get back into the win column on Thursday when they travel to Penn State Greater Allegheny. Geneva returns to Metheny Fieldhouse next Saturday at 5:30 pm to host Bethany College.

Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College’s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).