BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team endured a physical affair with Waynesburg on Saturday afternoon and came out with a 77-62 victory over the Yellow Jackets. The win improved Geneva's record to 14-7 overall, 11-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).
Senior Isaac Massie opened the scoring for Geneva with two three-pointers, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 6-2 lead, one they would ultimately never relinquish. Waynesburg would pull within two points, 8-6, but a basket and a three-pointer from senior Lyle Tipton, followed by a bucket from sophomore Mark Rachic, gave Geneva a 15-6 advantage.
The final 12 minutes of the first saw the Golden Tornado lead fluctuate between three and nine points. Every time Geneva pushed its lead to nine points, Waynesburg would cut it back down to three, and the Golden Tornadoes would respond by pushing the advantage back to nine points. A three-point play from Massie and a bucket from sophomore Trevor Tipton allowed Geneva to take a 36-28 edge into the break, with Waynesburg attempting to slow the game down and make things a physical affair. Massie had 13 points to lead the offense.
A three-pointer by Waynesburg pulled the Yellow Jackets within 41-37 three minutes into the second half, but Lyle Tipton answered with a three-pointer of his own. Waynesburg managed to stay within striking distance, though, until a jumper by Rachic with 12 minutes remaining in the game pushed the Geneva lead into double digits for the first time, 55-45.
Two minutes later, the Golden Tornadoes took control. A jumper by Tipton, back-to-back three-pointers from Tipton and freshman Jonathan Bertovich, two free throws from Tipton and a layup from Rachic completed a 12-0 run to push the Geneva lead to 69-48 with six minutes left. The Yellow Jackets pulled within 12 points late, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Golden Tornadoes finished off the 77-62 win.
Tipton led the team with 19 points, while Rachic added a career-high 17 points. Massie contributed 16 points, while junior Ryan Rachic also reached double figures with 10 points. Geneva shot 27-of-52 (52%) from the floor and an even more impressive 9-of-15 (60%) from long range. The Golden Tornado defense held Waynesburg to 21-of-61 (34%) shooting from the floor.
"This was another good team win for us," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "Coming in we knew that Waynesburg was going to try to slow it down and make it a physical game. I thought we played really good defense early to get us off to a good start. Isaac got us going offensively, and Lyle was good as well. I thought Mark played his best game of the year. That's what we need from him, to be that spark, and he did a tremendous job. Now we get ready for a big road game at Westminster on Wednesday."
The men are now one game out of first place in the PAC, just behind W&J. There are five teams within two games at the top of the conference. Geneva controls its own destiny for the top spot, though the Golden Tornadoes have a tough schedule to finish out the season, beginning with a road game at Westminster on Wednesday at 7:00 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).
