BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Fans arrived at Metheny Fieldhouse to watch Geneva College men's basketball's season opener against Hiram on Wednesday night ready to see what this year's edition of Golden Tornado basketball might look like.  Suffice it to say, they did not leave disappointed.  In one of the most high-scoring, fast-paced games in Geneva history, the men came up with the plays they needed late to pull out an entertaining 113-108 victory over the Terriers.

It took only a few seconds of action before Hiram's Levi MacAdam drained a three-pointer on the first possession of the game, a sign of things to come.  Junior Ryan Rachic immediately responded with a layup to get Geneva on the board, and both teams were off and running.

The teams traded baskets back-and-forth, and neither team really slowed down all game.  Geneva took its first lead of the game three minutes in when sophomore Trevor Tipton scored in the paint, sophomore Mark Rachic hit a short jumper, and senior Lyle Tipton hit a three-pointer and a layup for a quick nine-point run to give the Golden Tornadoes a 13-8 edge. 

Hiram answered right back with a 9-1 run to take back the lead, 17-14.  Both teams exchanged the lead over the next several minutes before the Terriers pulled ahead 30-28 midway through the half, and Hiram held that lead over the final ten minutes of the half.  The Terriers extended their advantage to as much as nine points, 48-39, on another jumper from MacAdam with five minutes to go.  Trevor Tipton responded with a three-pointer, followed by a jumper from Mark Rachic, pulling the Golden Tornadoes with four points, but Hiram managed to take a 55-50 lead into the break despite a layup from senior Isaac Massie with just four seconds remaining.

The halftime break did little to cool off either team.  Geneva retook the lead just over a minute into the second half after back-to-back three-pointers from Ryan Rachic and Massie gave the Golden Tornadoes a brief 59-58 advantage.

Hiram, which made 8-of-16 three-pointers in the first half, was even better from long range in the second half.  MacAdam responded with his fourth three-pointer of the game to give the Terriers the lead back, and each team answered the other team with big shot after big shot over the next six minutes. Two free throws from Lyle Tipton with 12:34 remaining gave Geneva a 78-76 lead, the last time the Golden Tornadoes would lead until late in the game.

McAdams hit back-to-back three-pointers in a string of four straight three-pointers for Hiram.  In fact, the Terriers made 10-of-11 three-pointers to open the second half, and three-pointers from MacAdam and Max Johnson with 8:33 left extended the Hiram lead to 96-88.

Geneva refused to quit, though.  Lyle Tipton scored on Geneva's next possession, followed by a three-pointer from Trevor Tipton.  Lyle Tipton then converted a three-point play to make it eight straight points, tying the game back up at 96-96.

The Golden Tornadoes could not manage to retake the lead, though, over the next several minutes as Hiram had an answer after every Geneva surge.  It wasn't until 1:51 remaining that a Lyle Tipton layup gave the Golden Tornadoes their first lead in almost 11 minutes, 108-107.

MacAdam hit a layup on Hiram's next possession, but Ryan Rachic answered with a short jumper to give Geneva the lead back, 109-108 with 1:12 remaining, a lead the Golden Tornadoes would ultimately not relinquish.

The Geneva defense then strung together three good defensive possessions late to pull out the win.  Lyle Tipton hit a layup with 35 seconds left to push the lead to three points, and then Mark Rachic closed out the scoring with two free throws with 11 seconds left, and Geneva prevailed 113-108 in one of the most entertaining games Metheny Fieldhouse has ever seen.

It was a career night for almost all of Geneva's starters.  Lyle Tipton picked up right where he left off last season, tying his career-high with 39 points.  Ryan Rachic added a career-high 27 points, along with 14 rebounds.  Trevor Tipton finished with 19 points, while Isaac Massie contributed a career-high 15 points.  Geneva's fifth starter, Mark Rachic, finished with eight points in his first game as a Golden Tornado, as Geneva's starters scored all but five of the team's points.

Both teams shot it very well.  Geneva finished at 58% for the game, including 67% in the second half.  The Golden Tornadoes hit 11-of-21 (52%) three-pointers.  Hiram countered with a 57% shooting night, including 18-of-29 (62%) from three-point range, which included a 10-of-13 (77%) effort from long range in the second half.  MacAdam scored 36 points, including eight three-pointers, to lead Hiram, while Brodgie Gordon finished with a triple-double, totaling 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

"That was an entertaining game for sure," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "Both teams shot it really well, and we certainly didn't defend like we need to.  But give Hiram credit.  They really shot the ball well, much better than we expected.  Lyle and Ryan were obviously tremendous.  Trevor also played a great game, hitting some key shots when we needed them.  We finally got a few stops late, and that enabled us to come out with a win.  These sorts of games prepare us for the types of battles we're going to face come conference time, and it's always good to start the season off with a victory."

The men have a week off to recover from their season opener before opening conference play at home next Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Thiel. 

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).