BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team put together one of its best shooting displays in recent memory in the first half at Saint Vincent on Thursday night, and the big first half allowed the Golden Tornadoes to cruise to a victory, 85-69.  Geneva improved to 7-6 overall, 5-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).

Saint Vincent scored the first basket of the game, and then Geneva unleashed a 20-minute barrage of three-pointers against the Bearcats.  Junior Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) opened the scoring for the Golden Tornadoes with a three-pointer, and a moment later senior Matt Veynovich (Pompano Beach, Fla./Highlands Academy) hit a three-pointer.  It was only the beginning for Veynovich, who proceeded to hit five straight three-pointers over a three-minute stretch.

Tipton also remained on fire, along with Veynovich, and another three-pointer from Tipton eight minutes into the game gave the Golden Tornadoes their first double-digit lead, 23-13.  The Bearcats tried to stay with Geneva, but the long-range firepower by the Golden Tornadoes proved too much.  A three-pointer by freshman Trevor Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) kicked off a 21-5 run over the final seven minutes to send Geneva into the halftime break with a 55-29 lead.  Veynovich hit 7-of-8 three-pointers in the half, while Lyle Tipton went 5-of-6 from long range.  As a team, Geneva hit 14-of-20 from three-point range, while making 3-of-8 from inside the arc.

As hot as Geneva was in the first half, they came out cold in the second half, and it was actually the Bearcats who came out shooting well.  The Golden Tornadoes scored just six points in the opening eight minutes of the half, enabling Saint Vincent to close within 61-47.  Another three-pointer from Lyle Tipton, though, got the Geneva offense rolling again, and the Golden Tornadoes never looked back in defeating Saint Vincent, 85-69.

Lyle Tipton led the team with 26 points, including six three-pointers, while Veynovich finished with a career-high 23 points, finishing 7-of-11 from three-point range.  Junior Ryan Rachic (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert) added 16 points, while Trevor Tipton also reached double figures with 10 points.  Senior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) contributed five points, six rebounds and seven assists, while junior Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Homeschool) dished out a career-high nine assists.  In fact, Luptak and Massie combined for 16 assists without a single turnover.

As a team, Geneva shot 29-of-54 (53.7%) from the floor, including 17-of-33 (51.5%) from three-point range.  Saint Vincent shot 43.8% from the floor and was led by Jayven Mills, who finished with 15 points.

"We obviously shot the three really well in the first half," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "I was especially happy for Matt (Veynovich).  He's been one of the best shooters in the PAC throughout his career, and obviously this season has been a struggle for him at times.  But it wasn't for lack of work by Matt, as he has put in so much time to find his shot, and it finally showed tonight.  Lyle and Ryan were really good as well, as they always are, and our point guards, Amos and Isaac, were great at distributing the ball."

Geneva returns home for a matchup with Thiel on Saturday at 5:00 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).