WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team earned a huge win at Washington & Jefferson on Saturday afternoon, knocking off a Presidents squad that came into the game undefeated and in first place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).  In a game that Geneva led almost the whole way, the Golden Tornadoes held on for a 79-76 victory.  Geneva improved to 5-5 overall, 3-1 in the PAC, while W&J dropped to 10-3 overall, 5-1 in the PAC.
 
W&J came into the game as the hottest team in the conference, having won its first five PAC games by an average margin of almost 26 points per game.  The Presidents play a fast-paced, full-court pressure style of basketball that has enabled the Presidents to score 92.9 points per game, sixth in NCAA Division III. 
 
Senior Matt Veynovich (Pompano Beach, Fla./Highlands Academy) opened the game with a three-pointer, and after a W&J bucket, senior Amos Luptak (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) hit two free throws, followed by a three-pointer from junior Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Homeschool).  A moment later, Luptak hit Geneva's third three-pointer in the early going, increasing the Golden Tornado lead to 11-4.  That would prove to be the biggest lead of the half for either team.
 
W&J would get its offense going, though, and Presidents cut into the Geneva lead.  W&J found success spreading out the Golden Tornadoes and driving into the lane.  Almost all of the Presidents success offensively in the first half came near the hoop, as the Presidents attempted only four three-pointers in the half, missing all of them. 
 
W&J took its first lead of the game, 32-31, with eight minutes to go before the break.  The lead was short-lived, though, as Luptak answered on Geneva's next possession with another three-pointer, followed by a jumper from junior Lyle Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian).  Whenever the Golden Tornadoes had a burst, though, W&J always had an answer, with the Presidents scoring the last four points of the half to send the game into the break tied at 41-41.  Tipton had 16 points to lead Geneva.
 
W&J opened the second half with a bucket to take its second lead of the game, but junior Ryan Rachic (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert) followed with a three-point play, and the Presidents would never lead again.  In fact, Rachic's bucket was the start of 12 straight points for the Golden Tornadoes.  Luptak hit a short shot, Tipton drained two free throws, Massie laid one in, and Tipton closed out the run with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and less than three minutes into the second half, Geneva held its biggest lead of the game, 53-43.
 
W&J, as it did all game, would have an answer.  The Presidents scored the next seven points to pull within three points, 53-50, with 15 minutes left.  The rest of the game saw the Geneva lead bounce between two and seven points, with W&J unable to pull even, but the Golden Tornadoes unable to pull away in this game of two evenly matched teams. 

After W&J pulled with two points, a three-pointer from freshman Trevor Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) and two free throws from Rachic extended Geneva's lead to 62-55 with 11 minutes remaining.  The Presidents scored the next five points to pull back within two points, but Lyle Tipton answered with a three-pointer.  W&J hit a three on its next possession, but Veynovich answered with a three-pointer of his own.  The Presidents followed with another three-pointer, but a jumper and a three-pointer from Rachic gave Geneva a 73-66 lead with four minutes remaining.
 
Two three-pointers from W&J's Nick Gearhart pulled the Presidents within 76-74 with 1:45 left, but Trevor Tipton followed with a huge three-pointer on Geneva's next possession, and the Golden Tornadoes held on for the victory.  A desperation three-pointer at the buzzer from the Presidents was well off, and Geneva held on for the huge 79-76 victory.
 
Lyle Tipton led the way with 26 points, right on his season scoring average.  Rachic was also huge for the Golden Tornadoes, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds, with the junior leading the offense with 13 points in the second half.  Luptak added 15 points, while Massie had a strong all-around game, finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and four assists.  As a team Geneva shot 40.9% from the floor, and the Golden Tornadoes shot it well from deep, finishing 12-of-30 (40%).
 
W&J also had three players in double figures, led by Gearhart's 18 points.  The Presidents shot 45.6% from the floor, with W&J heating up from outside in the second half, making 6-of-11 in the final half to finish 6-of-15 (40%) for the game.  Geneva held an edge at the free throw line, making 13-of-15 from the charity stripe, compared to an 8-of-14 effort by the Presidents.
 
"This is obviously a huge win for us," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "W&J has been playing so well coming into today and had yet to lose in the conference.  Lyle had a big game, especially in the first half, and Ryan was huge for us in the second half.  But we got contributions from a number of guys today, and Trevor's late three-pointer was enormous.  We played well in key stretches of the game, and we got big stops when we needed them, which is what you have to do in this league.  We're going to enjoy this victory for a day and then get back to work on Monday to get ready for Franciscan."
 
The men will get a chance to play inside Metheny Fieldhouse for the first time in over a month when the Golden Tornadoes host Franciscan on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.  No fans will be allowed to attend the upcoming games this week, against Franciscan and on Saturday against Waynesburg, as the college looks to get through the opening week of the semester without any COVID surges.  The plan is for fans to be allowed back into games later in the semester, barring any COVID outbreaks on campus.


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).