Bethany surges past Geneva in fourth quarter, 88-82

Steve Janik, Assistant Sports Information Director

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (Dec. 3) - The Bethany College women's basketball team used a 30-point fourth quarter to defeat Geneva 88-82 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on Saturday.

With the win, the Bison improve to 3-4 overall, 1-1 in the PAC. Meanwhile, the Golden Tornadoes fall to 0-2 in league play, 2-5 overall.

Five Bison scored in double figures, with senior guard Hayley Holenka (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) leading the way with 27 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Maclaine Murad (Bridgeport, Ohio/Bridgeport) dropped 15 points, shooting 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Junior forwards Kelsi Settle (Sebring, Ohio/Sebring) and Kelsey Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier) finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while freshman guard Abby McDonald (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) had a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Ashley Duthie (Madison, Ohio/Madison) balanced out the offense with nine points, six assists, and eight rebounds.

After Bethany held the 46-43 lead at halftime, the Golden Tornadoes outscored Bethany 20-12 in the third quarter to take a 63-58 lead into the final period. 

The Green and White stormed back in the fourth quarter. After back-to-back baskets in the opening minute, a Daugherty layup regained the lead for Bethany at 64-63. Murad hit a trey followed by consecutive jumpers from Holenka to give them the 81-74 advantage with 3:42 remainin in the game. Geneva pulled back to within four in the closing minute but Bethany iced the game from the foul line.

Bethany is back on the court on Thursday, December 8 when it travels to Carnegie Mellon for a non-conference game slated to start at 6 p.m.