WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team stayed perfect in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Wednesday night, using a formula of strong defense and timely outside shooting to grind out a 58-48 road win at Waynesburg. Geneva improved to 7-1, 6-0 in the PAC, with all six victories coming by double digits, and it sets up a huge early-season showdown at undefeated Saint Vincent on Saturday.
The two teams traded baskets over the first several minutes of the game before Waynesburg put together its best stretch of the night. With Geneva leading 14-12 after a jumper from junior Payton Triplett, the Yellow Jackets scored the next eight points to take their biggest lead of the game, 20-14, with eight minutes remaining in the half.
Sophomore Jonathan Bertovich responded with a three-pointer to cut Geneva's deficit in half, and the Golden Tornadoes eventually retook the lead six minutes later on a three-pointer from senior Ryan Rachic, 26-25, with just over a minute remaining before the break. Junior Trevor Tipton then hit a big three-pointer at the buzzer to send Geneva into halftime with a 31-28 lead, and the Golden Tornadoes would never trail again.
Tipton mirrored that three-pointer with another three-pointer to open the half, and Bertovich followed with a jumper to increase the lead. Waynesburg knocked down a basket before Bertovich scored twice more to give the Golden Tornadoes their first double digit lead of the game, 40-30, six minutes into the second half. Junior Mark Rachic followed with a jumper to finish off a 14-2 run covering the end of the first half.
Geneva continued to build its lead, as the Golden Tornado defense completely frustrated the Yellow Jackets. In fact, Waynesburg managed just five points in the opening 13 minutes of the second half, and when Tipton knocked down a three-pointer with 5:02 left in the game, the Golden Tornadoes led 53-37 and effectively had the game in hand. Waynesburg never threatened again as Geneva earned an impressive 58-48 road win.
Bertovich led the team with 15 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, 3-of-4 from three-point range, to go with eight rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. Tipton also added 15 points, including three long range shots. Ryan Rachic led the efforts on the board with 10 rebounds, as the Golden Tornadoes outrebounded Waynesburg 43-32. Geneva shot 25-of-57 (44%) from the floor, while the nation's top three-point shooting team in Division III finished 7-of-17 (41%) from deep.
Geneva completely locked down Waynesburg defensively, holding the Yellow Jackets well below their season scoring average of 72 points coming into the night. Waynesburg shot just 18-of-54 (33%) from the floor and 3-of-14 (21%) from three-point range. Antone Baker led the team with 14 points.
"Winning on the road is always so tough, but it is really crucial as well," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "We were just so good defensively tonight and really shut down everything Waynesburg really wanted to do. I thought we really played well against Baker, their leading scorer. And offensively, we are sharing the ball so well right now, with different people stepping up at separate times, which makes us tough to guard. JB (Bertovich) was especially good for us tonight. Now we look ahead to a big game on Saturday at Saint Vincent."
The win sets up a huge early-season showdown at Saint Vincent on Saturday. The Bearcats have been just as impressive as Geneva early in the season, sporting a perfect 8-0 record, including 5-0 in PAC play. Every other team in the PAC, besides Chatham which has lost twice, has at least three losses so far this season. Tipoff for the game at Saint Vincent is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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).
