BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at home against rival Westminster came down to the wire, but it was the Titans who made the plays late to pull out a victory, 76-72.  Westminster improved to 9-6 overall, 4-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Geneva fell to 5-9 overall, 1-4 in the PAC.

Junior Joel Stutz (Evans City, Pa./Butler County Community College) hit a three-pointer on Geneva's opening possession to give the Golden Tornadoes an early 3-2 lead, but Westminster answered with ten straight points over the next three minutes to take a 12-3 lead.  Geneva slowly clawed its way back into the game, though, and when junior RJ Bell (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) hit a three-pointer with eight minutes remaining in the half, the Golden Tornadoes regained the lead, 19-18.

Unfortunately, the game got away from Geneva a bit over the final eight minutes.  Westminster's Daniel Ritter got hot and hurt the Geneva zone defense from long range, making 6-of-7 three-pointers in the first half, and his 25-foot shot at the buzzer sent Westminster into the break leading 41-31.

Despite the deficit, the Golden Tornadoes came out of the break playing the better basketball.  Geneva methodically cut into the deficit, closing within three points, 45-42, on a jumper by senior Ethan Moose (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) with 14 minutes remaining.  A minute later, freshman Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to pull Geneva even, 47-47.  Over the next ten minutes, the game stayed tight, but Westminster was able to keep Geneva from taking the lead.  The game was tied four times over that stretch, but each time the Titans were able to answer with a basket to keep a small margin over the Golden Tornadoes. 

However, with Geneva trailing 67-62 with four minutes remaining, the Golden Tornadoes put together a run enabling them to take their first lead since midway through the first half.  Moose scored four points, senior Nick Rusyn (Salem, Ohio/Salem) added a bucket, and when senior Noah Damazo (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) followed with an offensive rebound and a basket, Geneva led 70-67 with two minutes remaining.

Unfortunately, Geneva could not hang on.  The Golden Tornadoes were hurt by second-chance points down the stretch, as Westminster scored back-to-back buckets off offensive rebounds to retake the lead, 71-70.  Rusyn answered with two free throws to give Geneva the lead back, 72-71, with 1:05 remaining, but it would prove to the be the last points of the game for the Golden Tornadoes.  Westminster's Lloyd Chatman hit a huge three-pointer with 00:53 remaining, and Geneva couldn't answer offensively.  The Titans then made enough free throws at the end to hold on for a 76-72 victory.

"This was a typical Westminster and Geneva basketball game," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "We played really well in the second half and gave ourselves a chance to win.  But in tight games like this, it comes down to execution at the end, and Westminster made the plays it needed to late to win, and we didn't.  It stings because I know we're better than what our record shows, but we've got to show it on the court starting with Chatham next Wednesday."

Moose led the team in just about every category.  The senior finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.  Damazo was the only other Golden Tornado in double figures, finishing with 16 points.  Rusyn added nine points, while Bell gave Geneva a spark off the bench with eight points.  Geneva shot 41% from the floor, including a 6-of-20 (30%) effort from long range.  Ultimately, Geneva's defense didn't come up with the stops it needed to late, with the Titans shooting 49% from the floor, including an impressive 9-of-16 (56%) effort from long range.  Westminster also outrebounded Geneva, 46-35, including 17 offensive rebounds.  Ritter led the Titans' offensive with 20 points, all in the first half.

The Golden Tornadoes travel next to Chatham for an 8:00 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday.  Geneva returns home next Saturday to take on Saint Vincent 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.