GAMBIER, Ohio – There were high expectations coming into this season for junior Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian), and he exceeded even those lofty expectations on Monday by scoring 39 points as the Geneva men's basketball team opened their season with a 95-89 road victory over a hot-shooting Kenyon squad.
 
Tipton scored Geneva's first points of the season on a spinning jumper in the lane, and it proved to be a sign of things to come.  Tipton scored the first eight points for the Golden Tornadoes before junior Ryan Rachic (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert), playing his first game in a Geneva jersey, hit a jumper to even the score at 10-10.
 
A three-pointer from senior Matt Veynovich (Pompono Beach, Fla./Highlands Academy) helped Geneva take its biggest lead of the first half, 25-17, but as would be the pattern all night, every time the Golden Tornadoes tried to pull away, Kenyon would respond by knocking down multiple three-pointers.  In fact, with Geneva leading 29-24, the Lords responded with their best sequence of the game, going on a 16-5 run to take their biggest lead of the game, 40-34, after another three-pointer.
 
A three-point play by junior Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Homeschool) got the Golden Tornadoes going again, and by the end of the half Geneva had evened the score at 44-44.  Tipton had 21 points in the half, while Kenyon hit 7-of-15 three-point shots.
 
The game was close early in the second half before Geneva went on a run.  With the Golden Tornadoes holding a 54-53 lead, Geneva took advantage of Kenyon's lone cold stretch of the game from long range to build a double-digit lead.  Sophomore Gabe Lerer (West Palm Beach, Fla./The King's Academy) got Geneva going with a three-point play.  Veynovich hit another three-pointer, senior Mike Melewski (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) scored four points, and after Tipton hit a three-pointer, the Golden Tornadoes had their biggest lead of the game, 67-55, with ten minutes remaining.
 
True to form, though, Kenyon looked to the three-point shot to quickly pull back into the game.  The Lords hit three quick three-pointers, and after a Kenyon layup, the Lords pulled within 69-66.  Lyle's brother, freshman Trevor Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian), responded with a three-pointer to give the Golden Tornadoes a little more breathing room, but Geneva couldn't pull away.
 
Kenyon continued to keep the game close, answering every Geneva bucket with a basket of its own, and after another Kenyon three-pointer, the Lords pulled even at 76-76 with 3:15 remaining, the first time the teams were tied since the halftime break.
 
Tipton would score the next five points of the game to regain the lead for Geneva, and the Golden Tornadoes would lead the rest of the way, but never comfortably.  Trevor Tipton hit another big three-pointer in the final minute, and Geneva held on at the line, with Massie, Rachic and Tipton making 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to enable the Golden Tornadoes to hold on, 95-89.
 
Tipton finished with a monster game, and Geneva needed just about all of it.  His 39 points were a career high, and he finished 13-of-23 from the floor and 12-of-16 from the free throw line.  He also added 10 rebounds.  It was the most points by a Geneva men's player since Lucas Marsh scored 47 points against Point Park in 1997.  Rachic was also big for Geneva, adding a double-double of his own with 19 points and 10 rebounds.  Veynovich and Massie each added 11 points as Geneva shot 48.4% from the floor.
 
All five starters scored in double figures for Kenyon, who shot 44.2% from the floor and an impressive 17-of-38 (44.7%) from three-point range.  Geneva held a big advantage at the free throw stripe, attacking the rim more often, and the Golden Tornadoes were rewarded with 33 free throw attempts, making 26 of them (78.8%).  Kenyon finished 4-of-7 from the line.
 
"This was a really gutsy win tonight," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "Kenyon had played two games already, so they were a little more game ready than us entering our first game.  Lyle was obviously tremendous for us, and every time we need points he came through for us.  We got contributions from a lot of players tonight, though.  Ryan had some big buckets, and Trevor hit a huge shot late.  It's always good to get a win to start the season, and now we come home to face two really good programs this weekend."
 
Geneva will host the Coaches vs Cancer Tipoff classic this weekend, playing host to Lancaster Bible on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and Albion on Saturday 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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).