NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team came into Saturday's game at Westminster College on a three-game losing streak, and after the first half, things did not look good for the Golden Tornadoes.  However, Geneva locked down defensively in the second half, enabling the Golden Tornadoes to come from behind for a big Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) road win, 66-58.  Geneva improved to 6-7, 3-2 in the PAC, while Westminster fell to 4-11, 2-4 in the PAC.
 
Things could not have started much worse for Geneva.  The Golden Tornadoes missed their first ten shots from the floor, and it wasn't until over six minutes into the game that Geneva finally got on the scoreboard, coming on a 3-pointer from sophomore R.J. Bell (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan).  By that time Westminster led 8-0.  The Titans eventually stretched their lead to 23-11, their largest of the game.  Geneva responded with six straight points to get within 23-17, and that's mostly where the margin stayed until Noah Damazo (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) hit a 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer to get Geneva within 32-27, the closest it had been since early in the half.  Nine different Golden Tornadoes scored in the half, with no one scoring more than four points in a very balanced attack.
 
Geneva opened the second half much better than the first, scoring eight of the first ten points, and when senior Eric McGee (Tampa, Fl./Seffner Christian Academy) tipped in his own miss two minutes into the half, Geneva had its first lead of the game, 35-34.  Junior Nick Rusyn (Salem, Ohio/Salem) came up big defensively early in the second half, blocking a couple Westminster shots.  A minute later, senior Danny Torok (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) hit a 3-pointer, and Geneva found itself up 40-36.
 
Westminster would answer back with five quick points to retake the lead, 41-40.  A fast-break layup from Damazo gave Geneva the lead back, and ultimately the Golden Tornadoes would never give it back, though Westminster was able to tie it back up at 48-48 with ten minutes remaining.  Junior Ethan Moose (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) would score on Geneva's next possession to start a quick 6-0 Geneva run to put the Golden Tornadoes up 54-48.  Westminster would get within one point, 59-58 with 1:30 remaining, but Moose made a layup while being fouled on Geneva's ensuing possession, and he converted the free throw to give the Golden Tornadoes a 62-58 lead.  Geneva made its free throws from there to hold on for the victory, 66-58.
 
"This was a great win for us," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "We had been struggling since the break.  Then we got off to a really bad start today, but our bench came in and hit a couple of shots to settle us down and get us going, and when our starters came back in they were much better. 
 
"Noah's shot at the end of the first half gave us some momentum, and then I thought we really locked down defensively in the second half, giving up just one point in the last four minutes.  Ethan was really big for us, and Eric played well also.  Nick was big defensively, and Noah gave us a lift off the bench.  This gets us back into the win column as we prepare for Chatham on Wednesday."
 
Moose was the only player for Geneva in double figures, finishing with 13 points and 16 rebounds.  Damazo added nine points, while McGee and Torok each contributed eight points in a very balanced attack.  The Golden Tornadoes shot 43% from the floor, including 50% in the second half.  Geneva held Westminster to just 30% shooting.  Isaac Stamatiades led the Titans with 14 points.
 
Geneva returns home to take on Chatham at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.


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.