LATROBE, Pa. – The Saint Vincent Bearcats hit a tip-in shot with 2.9 seconds remaining on Saturday night to defeat Geneva, 72-70, in a game that was every bit as good as advertised between the top two teams in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).  Saint Vincent remains undefeated at 10-0, 6-0 in the PAC, while Geneva drops to 8-2, 6-1 in the PAC.

The first half proved to be as tight as the matchup might have indicated.  The teams alternated baskets early.  Saint Vincent jumped ahead by three a couple minutes in, but a jumper from junior Payton Triplett and a three-pointer from junior Mihali Sfanos gave Geneva an 11-10 lead six minutes into the game. 

Two minutes later, a layup from senior Ryan Rachic gave Geneva a 15-13 lead, as Rachic proved to be a problem offensively for the Bearcat defense in the half.  The Golden Tornadoes would not trail for several minutes behind Rachic's big first half, though Saint Vincent kept the game close.  A layup and a three-pointer from Rachic pushed the Golden Tornado advantage to 30-24 with six minutes remaining, the biggest deficit the Bearcats had faced all year.

The key point in the half came with four minutes left, as Rachic picked up his second foul and was forced to the bench for the remainder of the half.  The Bearcats took advantage, finishing the half on a 10-3 run to grab their first lead since early in the game, 39-36, heading into the break.  Rachic led all scorers with 16 points, despite not playing the final four minutes.

Saint Vincent carried that run into the second half, pushing its lead out to seven points, 45-38, three minutes into the half.  The Golden Tornadoes responded, though, using the three-point shot to get back into the game.  Rachic, Triplett and Tipton all hit deep shots, and when junior Mark Rachic knocked down two free throws, Geneva grabbed the lead back, 49-48. 

After Saint Vincent scored, Triplett answered with a layup to start a Geneva run.  The Golden Tornadoes scored seven straight points to take a 56-50 advantage midway through the half.  A three-pointer from Tipton would eventually push the lead to 62-54 with seven minutes remaining. 

However, Geneva couldn't finish.  A key five-point possession allowed Saint Vincent to get back into the game.  Corey Harden scored while getting fouled, and Saint Vincent grabbed the missed free throw and kicked it out to Dev Ostrowski, who drained a three-point shot.  The Bearcats eventually tied the score at 64-64 with five minutes remaining.

Triplett answered with a layup, and then Mark Rachic scored with just under four minutes remaining to give Geneva a 68-64 lead, but the Golden Tornadoes went cold down the stretch.  Geneva didn't score for the next three and a half minutes.  Saint Vincent scored six straight before a layup from Triplett tied the score at 70-70 with 16 seconds remaining.

Saint Vincent called a timeout, and Tipton forced a miss from Ostrowski, but Osyon Jones grabbed the rebound and scored with 2.9 seconds remaining.  Graduate student Isaac Massie's 30-foot shot at the buzzer that would have won it came up just short, allowing Saint Vincent to come from behind for the 72-70 victory.

Geneva got big nights from Ryan Rachic and Triplett, who each scored 19 points, along with Trevor Tipton, who finished with 17 points.  Triplett's total was a career high.  Geneva shot it well from the floor, finishing 29-of-57 (50.9%), including 8-of-15 (53%) from three-point range.  Two big differences in the game were Saint Vincent winning the battle of the boards, 42-33, and a big disparity in free throws.  Saint Vincent shot 23 times from the charity stripe, while Geneva shot just seven attempts. 

Saint Vincent finished 28-of-68 (41.2%) from the floor, 4-of-13 (30.8%) from three-point range, but the Bearcats got big performances from their two best players.  Jaden Gales scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Ostrowski added 20 points. 

"This was a game like the old days," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero.  "We played well in stretches, but we had some key turnovers late that really hurt us, and we failed to come up with the rebound at the end that allowed them to win it.  It was a very physical game, and I didn't think we got many breaks tonight with only shooting seven free throws compared to their total at the line.  But credit them for making the key plays late.  It's a December game, so we won't put too much stock in it.  There's a lot of season left to play, so we'll enjoy a few days off before we get ready for W&J next week."

Geneva has a week off before hosting W&J next Saturday 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).