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Geneva College Athletics

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geneva college golden tornadoes
geneva college golden tornadoes
Ethan_11
63
Westminster (PA) WES 12-4, 6-3
64
Winner Geneva GEN 8-8, 4-5
Westminster (PA) WES
12-4, 6-3
63
Final
64
Geneva GEN
8-8, 4-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Westminster (PA) WES 24 34 5 63
Geneva GEN 30 28 6 64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Geneva Wins OT Thriller against Westminster

Beaver Falls, PA—The Geneva College men's basketball team was due to win a close one.  After coming up on the short end several times this year in the closing seconds, the Golden Tornadoes finally got the stop they needed at the end of the game, and Geneva defeated rival Westminster in overtime, 64-63, on Pack-The-Gym night at Metheny Fieldhouse.  Geneva has now won four straight games, including three straight conference games, the first time Geneva has done that in four seasons.  Geneva evened its record to 8-8 overall, 4-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Westminster fell to 12-4 overall, 6-3 in the PAC.

The game couldn't have gotten off to a much better start for the Golden Tornadoes, as Geneva hit four of its first five 3-point shots on its way to a 24-10 lead ten minutes into the game.  That was as big as the lead would go, though, as Westminster battled back, and the game became a much more defensive-minded affair.  Westminster immediately cut the lead down to 26-20, and that's where the lead stayed for the remainder of the half.  Geneva took a 30-24 lead into halftime.  Senior Jimmy Leichliter and junior Danny Torok both scored six points on two 3-pointers apiece in the first half.

Geneva continued to maintain that lead early in the second half, as both teams struggled to hit shots.  Geneva was ahead 40-32 five minutes into the half when Westminster went on an 8-0 to even the score at 40-40.  From there the game went back and forth until it looked like the Titans might be pulling away, going up 56-51 with just over two minutes remaining.  But Geneva battled back, and junior David Oliver hit a 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining to tie the score at 58-58.  The Golden Tornadoes then got the stop they needed to send the game to overtime.

Westminster struck first in overtime, hitting a 3-pointer early in the extra period, and Geneva would not lead again until sophomore Ethan Moose stepped to the line and hit two free throws with 34 seconds remaining, pushing Geneva back ahead 64-63 in what proved to be the final points of the game.  From there Geneva buckled down and got another critical stop, and as the last second finally ticked away, Geneva celebrated a hard earned, and well deserved, victory over its rivals.

"This was a great team win," a very happy Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero said after the game.  "It felt like we were down and out multiple times late in that game, but we just kept battling.  We showed so much heart, especially after Jimmy fouled out with six minutes to go.  We just refused to lose.  Those last two minutes, I was about as proud as I've ever been as a coach.  I'm really happy for David as well, who has really battled injury most of the season, as he hit two huge 3-pointers for us late.  Ultimately, though, we won this game on the defensive end.  We finally got the stops we needed late, and this was a really good win for us."

Moose led the team with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Eric McGee also added 13 points.  Sophomore Nick Rusyn added 12 points, including a big dunk late in regulation that was a part of the late Geneva comeback to send the game to overtime.  Geneva shot just 41% from the floor, but the Golden Tornadoes won the game by holding Westminster to just 37% shooting.  Cameron Kane-Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, but he was the only Titan to reach double figures.

Geneva will head to Washington and Jefferson in search of its fifth straight win, which would be the first time since 2011 the Golden Tornadoes have accomplished that streak.  Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m.  Geneva will return home next Wednesday when it hosts Bethany at 7:30 p.m.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and classroom options, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.


 
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