SUNY Geneseo Pulls Away from Willamette in Second Half, 74-59

By Brandon Chinn, Athletics Communications Writer

PORTLAND,ORE. -- The State University of New York at Geneseo outscored Willamette University by 17 points in the second half to overcome a 31-29 halftime deficit and pull away from the Bearcats for a 74-59 win in the second round of the Bon Appetit Tournament at Lewis & Clark College on Saturday, Nov. 16. SUNY Geneseo improved to 2-0, while Willamette fell to 0-2.

Three players in the game were selected for the Bon Appetit All-Tournament Team. Shannon McGinnis of SUNY Geneseo was named Tournament MVP. Also earning positions on the All-Tournament Team were Rebecca Josephson (Sr., G, Fair Oaks, CA/Del Campo HS) from Willamette and Dana Cohan from SUNY Geneseo.

McGinnis led all players in scoring and rebounding as the Knights battled the Bearcats. She scored 20 points and hauled down 12 rebounds. She was 7 of 14 from the field. Cohan added 14 points for the Knights.

Josephson provided Willamette with a double-double, as she scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kylie Towry (Fr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) led the Bearcats with 19 points, as she hit 6 of 14 field goals, including 5 of 12 three-pointers. Towry also earned five rebounds and four assists.

Jojo DeLong (Jr., G, Santa Clarita, CA/Canyon HS) chipped in 10 points for Willamette. She also registered five rebounds and three assists.

The Knights finished with three players in double figures. McGinnis and Cohan led the way, while Bridgit Ryan hit 3 of 5 field goals and tacked on 10 points.

Willamette played well against the Knights in the first, as the team's competed through seven ties and eight lead changes. A 5-0 run gave SUNY Geneseo a 7-3 lead with 15:53 remaining in the half, but Willamette moved in front 10-9 on a jumper by Josephson at the 12:38 mark.

The first tie of the half occurred with 10:05 to go, when a 3-pointer by Josephson deadlocked the score at 13-13. Six more ties followed, culminating in a 27-27 score with 4:08 left in the half, following a layup by Kayleigh Cavanaugh of Geneseo.

Willamette surged out to a 31-27 lead on jumpers by Alexa Beeson (Sr., G, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) with 3:10 remaining and by Josephson with 1:58 left. SUNY Geneseo cut the lead to 31-29 at the break after McGinnis hit a jumper with 1:10 on the clock.

SUNY Geneseo shot 42.9% in the first half (12 of 28), but made just 1 of 9 three-pointers. Willamette shot 40.7% over the first 20 minutes, including 5 of 13 (38.5%) on 3-pointers.

In the second half, the Knights improved to 56.0% shooting (14 of 25), including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Willamette cooled to 28.6% from the floor (8 of 28), while connecting on just 3 of 14 shots (21.4%) from 3-point range.

The Knights tied the score at 31-31 on a layup by Biz Reinhardt just 26 seconds into the half. SUNY Geneseo added the next nine points to complete an 11-0 run for a 40-31 advantage with 16:20 left in the game. The margin grew to 14 points at 46-32 after Cohan sank a 3-pointer with 13:37 remaining.

Willamette battled back and trailed by just eight points, 48-40 following a 3-point basket by Towry at the 11:27 mark. The Bearcats eventually pulled within 50-45 on another trifecta by Towry with 8:08 on the clock. The two offensive surges by the Bearcats combined for a 13-4 run.

McGinnis stopped the run by hitting a jump shot with 7:45 to go. Towry answered with a layup to cut the margin to 52-47.

The Knights achieved the next eight points on a jumper by Katie Peterson and 3-pointers by Ryan and McGinnis. SUNY Geneseo owned a 60-47 lead with 4:58 remaining.

The Bearcats moved within seven points two times during the rest of the game, including 62-55 with 1:49 left, but the Knights ended the contest with a 12-4 run.

SUNY Geneseo connected on 49.1% of its shots during the game (26 of 53). The Knights were 6 of 17 on 3-pointers (35.3%) and sank 80.0% of their free throws (16 of 20). Willamette finished at 34.5% from the field (19 of 55) and 29.6% on 3-point shots (8 of 27). WU converted 13 of 18 free throws (72.2%).

Willamette will take on Concordia University (Ore.) in the Bearcats' home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Game time at Gordie James Court in Cone Field House is set for 7 p.m. (PST).