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Geneva College Athletics

official home of the geneva college golden tornadoes
geneva college golden tornadoes
geneva college golden tornadoes
Jimmy 11
81
Winner Geneva GEN 9-8, 5-5 PAC
76
Wash. & Jeff. WJC 3-14, 2-8 PAC
Winner
Geneva GEN
9-8, 5-5 PAC
81
Final
76
Wash. & Jeff. WJC
3-14, 2-8 PAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Geneva GEN 48 33 81
Wash. & Jeff. WJC 38 38 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Geneva Hangs on for its Fifth Straight Win

Washington, PA—It wasn't easy at the end, but the Geneva College men's basketball team held on for its fifth straight victory, this one an 81-76 victory on the road against Washington & Jefferson on Saturday afternoon.  This is the first time since 2011 that Geneva has won five straight.  The victory improved Geneva's overall record to 9-8, 5-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while W&J fell to 3-14 overall, 2-8 in the PAC.
 
Both teams came out shooting well in the first half, as neither team could gain more than a three point advantage the first seven minutes.  It wasn't until junior Matt Dragan hit back to back layups that Geneva went ahead by more than one possession, 21-17.  The game continued to go back and forth, though, as both teams were unable to get defensive stops.
 
Clinging to a 37-36 lead with 4:30 remaining in the half, the Golden Tornadoes finished the half on an 11-2 run to give Geneva its biggest lead of the game going into halftime, 48-38.  Sophomore Ethan Moose led the offense in the first half, scoring 16 points on 8-9 shooting.  Dragan and senior Jimmy Leichliter each added nine points, as Geneva shot 69% from the floor in the half.  W&J wasn't far behind, shooting 59% in the half.
 
Geneva extended the lead to its biggest of the game, 53-40, on a traditional 3-point play by sophomore Nick Rusyn early in the second half.  W&J responded by going on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes, highlighted by three straight 3-pointers, to cut the lead to 55-51.  A layup from Leichliter and a 3-pointer from junior David Oliver pushed the lead back to 60-51, but aided by six Geneva turnovers over the next five minutes, W&J stormed back on an 18-7 run to take its first lead since midway through the first half, 69-67, with 4:59 remaining.
 
At that point Geneva responded with back to back buckets from Rusyn and freshman Jake Ford, and the Golden Tornadoes never trailed again.  They couldn't pull away from the Presidents, though, and it wasn't until Leichliter and junior Eric McGee each hit two free throws with under 15 seconds remaining that Geneva could seal its fifth victory in a row, 81-76.
 
"To be honest, it was probably our worst effort since the Hiram game," a relieved Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero said afterwards, acknowledging Geneva's struggles in the second half.  "Give credit to W&J.  They worked extremely hard and we had to make some incredible stops to win this game.  Five in a row is something to be proud of, though.  But we still need to get better by getting back to the basics."
 
Leichliter led the offense with 21 points on 8-12 shooting from the floor, along with a team high seven rebounds.  Moose finished with 18 points on 9-12 shooting.  McGee also finished in double figures with 12 points.  Geneva ended up shooting 57% from the floor, including 5-12 from 3-point range (42%).  The Golden Tornadoes committed 15 turnovers, though, including 11 in the second half, and they allowed W&J to shoot 51% from the floor, the highest anyone has shot against Geneva all season.  Jonathan DeVito led the Presidents with 21 points, including 5-8 shooting from 3-point range.

Geneva returns to Metheny Fieldhouse on Wednesday when Bethany College comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. tip off.  Bethany comes in with an 8-9 overall record, but an impressive 8-2 in the PAC, good enough for second place in the conference.


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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