Beaver Falls, PA - It was an emotional send off for seniors Valerie Hamilton and Christine Carugati on Saturday night as the duo played their final game of their respective careers for the Golden Tornadoes. In what has been a disappointing season, Geneva managed to save its best for last with a 60-58 upset over Waynesburg University in the season finale. The victory ended Geneva′s eight game home losing streak and five game slide overall. It pushed Geneva′s record to 9-16, which was one game better than a year ago. Meanwhile, Waynesburg fell to 17-8 on the season and will prepare for the PAC tournament next week.
"This was a special night for our ladies and our basketball program," said head coach Renee Drake. "There was a lot of emotion for our seniors and everyone in the locker room really wanted to win this game for those two." Carugati and Hamilton were honored prior to the game but then saved their best act for the main event. Carugati posted a career best 25 points while Hamilton connected on a key free throw in the final moments before hauling down a huge defensive rebound to preserve the victory. "I am so happy for Val and Christine," said Drake. "They are both very special individuals and have worked extremely hard for this program for the past four years. It was a great way for them to end their careers and a great win for us to end a frustrating season."
Geneva led by as many as ten points in the first half but settled for a 31-28 lead at the break. Waynesburg battled back in the second half and opened up a five point advantage with less than ten minutes to play. Alyse Scarsella, who finished with eight points and six rebounds, connected on a pair of key free throws to give Geneva the lead inside of a minute to play. Waynesburg missed three opportunities to tie or take the lead on its final possession and Geneva escaped with its ninth victory of the season.
Beth DeLuca added eight points while Val Hamilton finished with six points and a team best seven rebounds. Waynesburg was led by Jessi Drayer′s 16 points while Elisha Jones added 15 points in the loss.
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).
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