MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The 2023-24 season came to an untimely end on Tuesday night inside the David V. Wise Center, as the fourth-seeded Allegheny College women's basketball team fell in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) quarterfinals to fifth-seeded Geneva College, 84-73.

It was a rollercoaster of the game for the Gators, who concluded the year with an even 13-13 overall record. Geneva (13-13) advances to the PAC Championship Tournament semifinals and will travel to top-seeded Washington and Jefferson College on Thursday.

Despite an early 10-4 lead, the Blue and Gold could not dig themselves out of the hole they dug in the first half. Allegheny committed 14 first-half turnovers, nine in the first quarter alone. Five first-quarter possessions ended on traveling violations, but the Gators only trailed by five at the first intermission, 21-16. In the second quarter, Allegheny, mired in a cold spell, was outscored by the Golden Tornadoes 20-9 and fell behind 41-25 at halftime.

It wasn't all doom and gloom, however. The crowd came to life in the fourth quarter as Allegheny attempted a miraculous comeback. Sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jess Bickart (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Jasmyn Fisher (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills), the Gators went on a 15-4 run that turned what once was a 21-point deficit into a two-possession game. Fisher scored another trey with six-and-a-half minutes to play and brought the Gators within six points at 64-58. 

It remained a six-point difference, 70-64, with three minutes left in the fourth. Geneva halted the Allegheny rally from there by scoring the next seven points, and the Golden Tornadoes made 11 of their 16 free throws in the closing minutes to maintain the insurmountable lead.

Inside the Box Score

• The Gators outscored the Golden Tornadoes in the second half, 48-43, but it wasn't enough to overcome the first-half deficit.
• Both teams had similar field-goal percentages: Geneva shot 39.2% (29-of-74) and Allegheny shot 38.8% (31-of-80).
• Allegheny and Geneva each made seven 3-pointers, and rebounds were nearly identical at 49-to-48 in favor of the Gators.
• The Golden Tornadoes had a significant advantage from the foul line, as they made 19-of-28 (67.9%) of their free throws, whereas the Gators were only 4-of-9 (44.4%).
• Geneva logged 13 steals on 20 Allegheny turnovers and scored a game-high 16 points off turnovers.
• Five of the eight Gators who checked into the game reached double-digit points, led by Emily Lauer (Knox, Pa./Keystone), Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y./Southwestern Central), and Bickart with 13 apiece.
• Sarah Santicola (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) earned a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
• Branygan Bianchin (Wexford, Pa./North Catholic) added 10 points off the bench, including two 3-point buckets.
• Mia San Nicolas had a double-double for Geneva with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Taylor Milroy scored a game-high 27 points for the Golden Tornadoes.

News and Notes

• The Allegheny women's basketball team finished with identical 13-13 overall records in its first seasons in the PAC.
• The Gators qualified for the PAC Championship Tournament in back-to-back seasons as well.
• Santicola's double-double was her 15th of the season, while the second-year forward became only the third Gator in team history to surpass 300 rebounds in a season with 305.
• Santicola concludes her sophomore year with 80 blocks, the second-most in single-season history.
• Lauer ends her junior year with 1,263 career points, third all-time in Allegheny history.
• In addition to her seven assists against Geneva, Bickart dished out a career-high 132 assists, the most in the PAC.