BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team got a big night from senior Ethan Moose (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock), but it wasn't enough as the Golden Tornadoes lost their opening game against Capital in the Coaches vs Cancer Tipoff on Friday night, 78-69.  The Golden Tornadoes held an eight-point lead midway through the second half, but Geneva could not hold on as Capital fought back for the victory.  Capital improved to 2-2, while Geneva fell to 1-2.

Moose opened the game hot as Capital could not keep him out of the lane, with Moose scoring eight of Geneva's first ten points.  Sophomore Mike Melewski (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) then hit a three-pointer to put Geneva ahead 13-8 six minutes into the game.  Two free throws from Moose a minute later gave Geneva a 15-11 lead with 13:18 remaining in the half, but the offense then went cold for several minutes.  The Golden Tornadoes didn't score for the next four and a half minutes as Capital put together a ten-point run that eventually extended to a 22-7 stretch, with the Crusaders taking their biggest lead of the half at 31-22 with 3:06 remaining before heading into halftime holding a 35-29 lead.  Moose finished the first half with 12 points.

It was the Crusaders turn to go cold offensively to open the second half, and Geneva took full advantage.  After Capital hit a jumper in the opening minute to extend its lead to eight points, the Golden Tornadoes went on a 19-3 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 48-40, with 10:46 remaining.  Geneva had a chance to extend its lead over the next two minutes, but three empty possessions prevented the Golden Tornadoes from pushing their lead further. 

The Crusaders, who scored just three points over a ten-minute stretch of the second half, finally found their rhythm, going on an 11-2 run over the next two minutes, retaking the lead 51-50 with 6:59 remaining, and Geneva could never regain the lead from there.  Capital built its lead to 59-52 with 5:05 remaining, and despite Geneva getting its offense restarted, the Golden Tornadoes could not come up with the defensive stops it needed down the stretch.  Capital's Ryan Roth was particularly troublesome for Geneva late, as the Crusader guard found gaps in Geneva's zone defense and made three three-pointers over a two and half minute stretch to prevent the Golden Tornadoes from rallying, and Capital held on for the 78-69 victory.

Moose had another huge game for Geneva finishing with 29 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.  Senior Nick Rusyn (Salem, Ohio/Salem) was the only other Golden Tornado in double-figures, finishing with 12 points.  Geneva struggled from long range on the night, finishing just 6-of-22 (27.3%) from three-point territory.  Capital's Ganiyu Yahaya countered Moose's big night with 29 points of his own to lead the Crusaders to victory.

Geneva is right back in action tomorrow on the second day of the Coaches vs Cancer Tipoff when it takes on La Roche at 3:00 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 115 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 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.