WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball earned its biggest victory of the season on Thursday night, knocking off first-place Washington & Jefferson on the road, 77-67. The win breaks a three-game skid and improves Geneva's record to 9-4 overall, 6-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while W&J dropped to an identical 9-4 overall record, 6-2 in the PAC.
W&J opened the game with a three-pointer, and then Geneva responded with a big run. The Golden Tornadoes put together a 16-2 stretch over the next five minutes, highlighted by two three-pointers from junior Ryan Rachic and six points from sophomore Trevor Tipton. Geneva would actually never trail again, though the Presidents battled tough all game.
W&J responded with eight straight points to close to within 16-13, and the Geneva lead fluctuated between three and seven points for most of the rest of the half. The Presidents did score six straight points later in the half to pull as close as 29-28, but the Golden Tornadoes refused to relinquish the lead. A bucket right before the halftime buzzer from freshman Aiden Rorick sent Geneva into the locker room with a 38-34 advantage. Tipton had nine points and Rachic eight points to lead the offense.
The Presidents would close within one point again, 41-40, minutes into the second half, but as was the case all game, Geneva always had an answer. This time it was a three-pointer from senior Isaac Massie on Geneva's next possession. The Golden Tornadoes steadily stretched their lead out over the next several minutes, and when freshman Jonathan Bertovich and Massie hit back-to-back baskets, Geneva's lead was back in double digits, 56-46, with 11:44 remaining.
The Presidents refused to go away easily, though, battling back to cut the Golden Tornado lead to 59-56 with six minutes left. Geneva again responded, though, this time with a big run to take control of the game. Rachic hit a jumper, Bertovich a three-pointer, Rachic a layup and Massie a short jumper for nine straight Geneva points to give the Golden Tornadoes a 68-56 lead with four minutes remaining. W&J never got closer than seven points the rest of the game as Geneva hit its free throws down the stretch to prevail 77-67.
Rachic was huge for Geneva, finishing with a team-high 20 points, along with 13 rebounds. Massie finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, Tipton 11 points and Bertovich 10 points. The Golden Tornadoes managed the huge victory despite a 4-of-17 performance from leading scorer Lyle Tipton, who finished with just eight points.
The Golden Tornadoes finished the game 29-of-66 (44%) from the floor, 8-of-21 (38%) from three-point range. Geneva won the battle of the boards, 47-37. W&J shot 28-of-71 (39%) from the floor and just 2-of-12 (17%) from deep.
"This was a great road win," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "We were locked in from the opening tip and executed well both offensively and defensively. When your leading scorer struggles and only scores eight points, but you still pick up a huge road win like this, you've had a great team performance. Ryan was excellent for us, and Isaac gave us great leadership at the point and hit some important buckets. JB (Bertovich) also had some key baskets late, and we got contributions from a lot of guys. We're a tired bunch, but we have a quick turnaround to get ready for Bethany on Saturday, who is coming off a big road win tonight."
Geneva will finish off its three-game week on Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes host Bethany for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.
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).
