Hiram, OH—The Geneva College men's basketball team traveled on Saturday night to take on Hiram College. Geneva fell behind early and was never able to recover, dropping the game 78-55. Geneva dropped to 2-2 on the season, while Hiram improved to 1-2.
Geneva built its only lead of the night early when senior Jimmy Leichliter hit a 3-pointer to put the Golden Tornadoes up 7-4. Hiram responded by hitting three straight 3-pointers of its own against Geneva's zone defense to take a 13-7 lead, and Geneva never led again.
Geneva was trailing just 19-18 with eight minutes to go in the half after sophomore Ethan Moose converted one of two free throws when Hiram responded by finishing the half on a 16-4 run to go into the break leading 35-22. Turnovers plagued the Golden Tornadoes in the first half, as they turned it over 11 times before halftime. Geneva also struggled to control the boards as Hiram out-rebounded Geneva 21-12.
The Golden Tornadoes attempted to respond early in the second half by cutting the lead to nine points after a Moose layup made it 48-39. Geneva closed even further after two David Oliver free throws made it 50-43, but Hiram proved to be too strong for Geneva to climb all the way back into the game. Hiram pushed the lead out to double digits again, and Geneva never got closer the rest of the way before falling 78-55.
"It was another tough shooting night," Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero said after the game. "We have to figure it out. I was not pleased with our effort on the defensive end either, so we have a lot to work on."
Geneva was led by Moose who finished with 18 points. Leichliter was the only other Golden Tornado in double digits with 12. Geneva shot just 41% from the field and struggled from 3-point range as it finished just 4-14 overall. Turnovers and rebounds also proved to be a factor as Geneva turned it over 18 times while being out-rebounded 42-27.
Geneva will continue on with its four game road stretch as it heads into Presidents' Athletic Conference play next week. The Golden Tornadoes first head to Bethany College on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off before finishing the week on Saturday at Thiel College, with play starting at 3 p.m. that afternoon.
