LATROBE, Pa. – It took six minutes and twenty-one seconds for Geneva to score in Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) road contest at St. Vincent College. The Bearcats opened the game on an 11-0 run and never lost the lead, defeating Geneva 72-60. Geneva fell to 11-5 overall, 8-3 in the PAC, while St. Vincent improved to 9-7 overall, 5-6 within the conference.
St. Vincent came into the game with the third best scoring defense in the conference, and it was highlighted by the Bearcats' performance on Saturday. Geneva was held to just 23 points in the first half and trailed the Bearcats 30-23 at the break. It was clear from the start that Geneva's offense would be challenged after failing to hit their first eight shots in the game. Freshman Jonathan Bertovich hit his first of three three-point shots to get on the board, but unforced errors kept Geneva out of reach. Throughout the game, the GTs' 17 turnovers combined with St. Vincent's seven steals allowed St. Vincent to accumulate 19 fastbreak points, at one point giving the Bearcats a 15-point lead. Additionally, Geneva was faced with a full-court press for much of the afternoon, creating difficult passes up the court and forcing them into subpar shooting opportunities.
Four minutes into the second half Geneva made it a two-score game, threatening a comeback. That's when St. Vincent found another gear, led by Osyon Jones, who finished the game with a season-high 20 points. Shemar Bennett and former Division I student-athlete Mike Iuzzolino added 19 and 15 points, respectively. The Bearcats are not known for their three-point shooting, ranking last in the conference. Despite going just 1-of-6 from distance, the Bearcats converted 44 points in the paint and 23 points from the free-throw line. Senior Lyle Tipton led the Golden Tornadoes on the court today with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Junior Ryan Rachic finished the game with 13 points, and senior Isaac Massie with 10. Foul trouble plagued Geneva all day, too, as five players finished with three or more to their name.
"Our poor offensive efficiency caught up to us today," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "We've struggled offensively for the last couple of games, and we couldn't overcome that today. We fell behind early and played uphill all game long. We couldn't get stops when we needed to, and we didn't shoot it well enough to come back. Saint Vincent is a good team, and they deserved to win. We've got to regroup now for a big game on Wednesday."
The Golden Tornadoes will next play on Wednesday, January 18, at 7:30 p.m. as they host reigning PAC runners-up Chatham. With W&J's one-point win over Grove City today, the Presidents re-take the top spot in the conference from the Golden Tornadoes, who fall into a four-way tie for second.
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).
