BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team has played four Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) games so far this year, and the Golden Tornadoes now have four double-digit victories to their credit, the latest a 71-54 victory over Franciscan on Wednesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse. This is the best start Geneva has gotten off to in conference play since joining the PAC in 2011. The men improved to 6-1 overall, 4-0 in the PAC, while Franciscan dropped to 2-5, 1-3 in the PAC.
Things actually started slowly for the men on Wednesday night. Junior Trevor Tipton hit a three-pointer on the opening possession of the game, and then the Golden Tornado offense went silent. The men scored just two points over the next six minutes, allowing Franciscan to grab an early 11-5 lead almost seven minutes into the game.
The Barons held that lead for the next several minutes until sophomore Jonathan Bertovich knocked down a three-pointer with six minutes left in the half to give the Golden Tornadoes their first lead since the opening minute, 19-18. Bertovich's shot kicked off a big finish to the first half. Tipton followed with a three-pointer, and then Bertovich knocked down back-to-back three-pointers. Two free throws from Tipton completed a 16-point run, turning an 18-14 deficit into a 30-18 Geneva lead, and the Golden Tornadoes took a 33-22 lead into the break. Tipton had 15 points and Bertovich nine points as the duo combined to shoot 6-of-7 from long range in the first half to pace the offense.
The men added to their lead early in the second half and looked like they were on their way to blowing out the Barons. Senior Ryan Rachic hit two three-pointers in the first seven minutes, the last giving the Golden Tornadoes a 46-26 lead. However, a bad stretch of turnovers and poor shot selection allowed Franciscan to quickly get back into the game.
Franciscan reeled off 12 quick points after Rachic's three-pointer, in just two minutes of action, to cut Geneva's lead to single digits, 46-38. A layup from graduate student Isaac Massie, fresh off a career-high 39 points against Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday, followed by a three-pointer from junior Payton Triplett, allowed Geneva to regain control, and the margin never dipped below ten points again. A three-pointer from Massie pushed the lead back to 59-44 a couple minutes later, and the Golden Tornadoes comfortably closed out the win, 71-54.
Tipton led the offense with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Massie finished with 15 points, with all but two of those points coming in the second half. The men received another balanced offensive effort, as Bertovich and Rachic each added nine points and Triplett eight points. Geneva shot 24-of-53 (45.3%) from the floor while finishing with another impressive shooting display from three-point range, hitting 12-of-23 (52%). Geneva also won the battle on the boards, 42-37.
The Geneva defensive effort also paid dividends, with Franciscan shooting just 22-of-67 (33%) from the field and 5-of-16 (31%) from deep. The Barons were led by Derrick Derrow's 18 points.
"Tonight was a good bounce-back game for us after losing to Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "We were pretty sluggish to start, maybe shaking off Saturday's game, and then Trevor and JB really got us going with their shooting to give us a lead going into the break. In the second half, we really locked down defensively. When we play like that on the defensive end, we're a really tough team to beat. We don't have much time to enjoy this one, though, with a good Allegheny team coming to town on Saturday."
Geneva and Saint Vincent are the last two undefeated teams in the PAC. The Golden Tornadoes return to action on Saturday when they host Allegheny at 3:00 p.m. The Gators earned an overtime win at Thiel on Wednesday night.
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).
