DEFIANCE, Ohio – This was not the start to the second semester the Geneva men's basketball team was looking for coming off its Christmas break.  In a game that went down to the final moments, a last second shot came up short as Geneva fell 67-66 to Defiance College on the opening day of the 44^th Annual Purple & Gold Tournament at Defiance.  Defiance improved to 2-8, while Geneva fell to 5-5.

The game actually couldn't have started much better for Geneva, as senior Danny Torok (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Golden Tornadoes jump out to a 10-2 lead just over three minutes into the game.  However, Defiance immediately responded with a couple fast-break baskets that led to eight straight points for the Yellow Jackets, as they evened the score at 10-10.  Defiance eventually stretched its lead to 22-16, the biggest of the half for the Yellow Jackets. 

Geneva responded over the next three minutes with an 11-2 run to take a 27-24, highlighted by five more points from Torok.  The game went back and forth until halftime when Defiance took a 33-32 lead to the break.  Torok led the offense with 13 points in the half.

The game stayed close for the first seven minutes of the second half before Noah Goodrich hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Defiance up 51-45 with 12 minutes remaining.  The Yellow Jackets would eventually stretch its lead to 57-48 with nine minutes left.  Geneva immediately answered with nine straight points, five from Torok, to tie the game back up.  However, Goodrich hit another 3-pointer to put Defiance ahead, and Geneva would never get back to even again. 

Despite being down 67-62 with two minutes remaining, though, the Golden Tornadoes put together one last run, closing to within one point, and after Geneva got a defensive stop, it gained possession and took a timeout with ten seconds remaining.  After the timeout, Moose brought the ball up the court, and he passed to senior Eric McGee (Tampa, Fl./Seffner Christian), but McGee's contested jumper in the lane came up just short, and Defiance held on for the 67-66 victory.

"This was certainly a tough loss," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "The first game back after break is always interesting.  We gave up too many rebounds and had way too many turnovers.  But I'm proud of the way the guys fought back and had a chance to win at the end.  We have a quick turnaround and need to get ready for another athletic team tomorrow in Heidelberg."

Torok led the offense with 23 points, including 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.  Moose added 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.  Geneva outshot Defiance, making 47% from the floor compared to 35% for Defiance, but the Yellow Jackets outrebounded Geneva 42-36, including 18 offensive rebounds.  Defiance was led by Goodrich, who came into the game averaging 1.7 points per game, yet finished with 21 points.

Geneva will play Heidelberg University tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on the second day of the tournament.  Heidelberg lost to Penn State Behrend in the other game of the tournament, 77-62.


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, fully online Adult Degree Programs, 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.