BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball game on Wednesday night against Thiel was a much different game than the teams' first matchup on the second night of the season in November when the Golden Tornadoes shot their way to an easy 90-65 road victory, but the result was still the same. Geneva battled through a physical affair that came down to the final moments, and the Golden Tornadoes made the plays they needed to late to prevail, 70-67. The win improves Geneva's record to 11-4 overall and moves the Golden Tornadoes into a first-place tie at 8-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Thiel dropped to 6-7, 5-5 in the PAC.
Senior Lyle Tipton opened the game with six straight points, but the Tomcats immediately responded with eight straight points, making it clear this game was going to be much different than their first matchup. Sophomore Trevor Tipton answered with back-to-back three-pointers to give Geneva the lead back, but neither team could gain much of an edge in the very physical contest.
The Golden Tornadoes looked like they might create some separation midway through the half when a bucket from junior Ryan Rachic, two free throws from freshman Aiden Rorick, and another basket from Rachic gave Geneva a 23-17 lead with nine minutes left in the half. Thiel hung with Geneva, though. Another three-pointer from Trevor Tipton with three minutes left gave the Golden Tornadoes their biggest lead of the game, 32-24, but the Tomcats closed the half on 7-2 run to pull within 34-31 at the break.
Geneva came out cold in the second half, unable to make a basket from the field in the first five minutes, and Thiel took advantage with a 9-2 run to take the lead back, 40-36. Senior Isaac Massie finally knocked down a shot to break the ice, and a moment later baskets from freshman Jonathan Bertovich and Lyle Tipton gave the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 42-41.
The final 13 minutes was a back-and-forth affair. Neither team led by more than three points until the final seconds. Thiel took a small lead with ten minutes remaining and held that slim advantage over the next six minutes. Geneva managed to tie the game four times during that stretch, but never retook the lead until a big three-pointer by Massie with just over three minutes remaining gave the Golden Tornadoes a 61-59 edge.
The Tomcats never led over the final three minutes, but Thiel did manage to tie the score twice, the last time coming on a jumper from Elijah Harden with 39 seconds remaining to level the score at 64-64. Lyle Tipton then came up with arguably the biggest play of the game when he drove and scored an acrobatic layup, while getting fouled, converting the free throw to give Geneva a 67-64 lead with 27 seconds remaining.
Geneva looked to be in good shape when Massie knocked down 1-of-2 free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Golden Tornadoes a 69-64 advantage, but a three-pointer from Harden pulled the Tomcats within two, and after Trevor Tipton made 1-of-2 free throws, Thiel got the ball with four second left and a chance to tie, but the Tomcats turned it over on the final possession, enabling Geneva to hold on for the 70-67 win.
Lyle Tipton led four players in double figures with 25 points. Rachic added another double-double to his ledger with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Massie finished with 16 points, while Trevor Tipton contributed 10 points. Geneva shot 21-of-53 (39%) from the floor against the physical Tomcats, just 4-of-16 (25%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornadoes did get to the foul line a season-high 36 times, making 24 (66%).
Thiel shot just 24-of-75 (32%) from the floor, but the Tomcats shot an impressive 7-of-15 (47%) from three-point range, their best long range shooting percentage in a game this season. Thiel also won the battle of the boards, 51-41. Harden led the Tomcats with 24 points, including a 4-of-5 effort from three-point range.
"This definitely wasn't our best effort of the year, but we did enough down the stretch to pull out the win," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "I thought at times we were a little tentative and didn't play well offensively for long stretches. But we locked in defensively late and came up with some key stops at the end. Isaac hit a big three-pointer down the stretch, and then Lyle's three-point play at the end was huge. We've got to hit our free throws better, something we've struggled with at times this year. Give Thiel credit for how they played, and we were probably a little fortunate to pull out a win, but we'll take it and get ready for Saturday."
The men will head to Saint Vincent on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. matchup with the Bearcats, the first time this season the two teams have met.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
