BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (November 23) – The Waynesburg University women's basketball team rallied back from a double-digit first half deficit but was edged late 86-80 at Geneva on Saturday afternoon.

Waynesburg falls to 4-2 on the season and 0-2 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play. Geneva rises to 4-2, 1-0 PAC.

Both teams led by double digits, Geneva in the first half and Waynesburg in the second.

The Golden Tornadoes tied the game at 73 with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter. After Geneva went up 75-73, Julz Mohrbacher (Freedom, Pa. / Freedom) tied the game at 75 with 3:48 to play.

Geneva scored on its next four consecutive possessions to go ahead 83-75 with under two minutes remaining. Mohrbacher had a successful three-point play to bring the margin back within two possessions (83-78) with 1:29 left. Kalista Friday (Woodsfield, Ohio / Monroe Central) drained a free throw line jumper to make it an 83-80 game. After a Geneva missed shot, Mia Henkins (Morgantown, W. Va. / Morgantown) had a look at a game-tying three from the right wing but it was off the mark.

The Golden Tornadoes missed two foul shots with 13 seconds left but grabbed an offensive rebound and went made its next two free throw attempts to secure the victory.

Geneva shot 8-of-10 from the foul line in the first quarter and led by as many as 10 (17-7) in the opening period. The hosts owned a 22-16 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play.

Friday and Madisen Dayton (Ridgeley, W. Va. / Calvary Christian Academy) combined for 14 points in the second quarter as the Jackets outscored Geneva 25-21. Waynesburg scored the final six points of the half with Friday scoring on back-to-back possessions and Clara-Paige Miller (Waynesburg, Pa. / Waynesburg Central) sinking two free throws to narrow the margin to 43-41 at the half.

Miller tied the game with the opening basket of the first half and Waynesburg seized the lead with a 15-4 run that featured three-pointers by Henkins, Friday and Kara McFadden (Painesville, Ohio / Fairport Harding). The Jackets' edge grew to 10 (63-53) after another three by Friday and a McFadden lay-in with 2:45 left in the third quarter. Geneva closed the quarter on a 7-2 spurt to make it a 65-60 Waynesburg lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Friday led the Jackets with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added five rebounds and four assists. Henkins and Dayton each finished with 12 points. Mohrbacher had seven points and a team-high six rebounds.

Waynesburg outscored Geneva 50-30 in bench points and 46-40 in the paint. The Golden Tornadoes went 26-for-34 from the foul line while Waynesburg was 9-for-14. The Jackets made seven threes at 22.6 percent while Geneva made six at 21.4 percent.

The Jackets take on Bethany in their PAC home opener on Tuesday.