PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team dropped an 84-76 decision at La Roche on Wednesday night, despite a second-half comeback attempt from the Golden Tornadoes and another huge night from junior Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian).  Geneva dropped to 4-5, while La Roche improved to 4-5.

The game represented the first of the year for the men's team after a three-week break due to the holidays and a COVID pause for the program.  After Geneva's first two games this week were postponed, the Golden Tornadoes scheduled a last-minute game with the Redhawks yesterday to ensure Geneva could get some game action in before resuming conference play this weekend.

Despite the layoff, the Golden Tornadoes opened the game well.  Senior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) hit a driving layup on Geneva's opening possession, and Tipton followed with a three-pointer.  After a La Roche basket, freshman Trevor Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) hit a three-pointer, and Lyle Tipton followed with another bucket to give Geneva a 10-2 lead less than three minutes into the game.

La Roche began to heat up, though, and besides Lyle Tipton, the Geneva offense cooled off.  A Redhawk bucket midway through the first half gave La Roche its first lead of the game, 21-20.  Two free throws from junior Ryan Rachic (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert) tied the game at 26-26 with five minutes remaining before the Redhawk closed the half on a run.  Over the final five minutes, La Roche outscored Geneva 12-3, with a Rachic bucket the only Golden Tornado basket over that stretch.  The Redhawks took a 38-29 lead into the break, with Geneva missing its last 11 three-pointers in the half.  Lyle Tipton had 17 points to lead the Golden Tornadoes.

La Roche opened the second half the way it finished the first, outscoring Geneva 9-2 to take a 47-31 lead, the biggest of the game.  The Golden Tornadoes didn't fold, though.  With La Roche leading 56-44 with 12 minutes remaining, a three-point play from Lyle Tipton followed by a three pointer from senior Matt Veynovich (Pompano Beach, Fla./Highlands Academy) pulled Geneva with six.  Another three-pointer from Veynovich with eight minutes remaining pulled the Golden Tornadoes within 62-57.

Unfortunately, Geneva could not get any closer.  La Roche used its size advantage to convert buckets close to the hoop, keeping the Golden Tornadoes at arm's length.  Geneva did pull within five points again, 75-70, on two free throws from junior Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Homeschool) with 1:23 remaining, but the Redhawks made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 84-76 victory.

Lyle Tipton finished with 37 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range.  He also converted 11-of-13 free throws.  Veynovich added 15 points, knocking down four three-pointers.  Geneva shot 45.6% from the floor, but just 7-of-24 (29.2%) from three-point range.  La Roche, who had six players score at least nine points, was led by Devon Darrell's 23 points.  The bigger Redhawks won the battle of the board, 36-25, while shooting 47.7% from the floor.

"This was a good game for us to shake the rust off against a really strong and athletic La Roche team," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "We certainly struggled at times tonight, other than Lyle, and it was good to see Matt get some shots to drop in the second half.  It was really important we get a game in as we get ready for a really good W&J team this weekend."

Geneva returns to conference action this weekend with a trip to W&J on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.  The Presidents are currently tied for first place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record.

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).