STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The freight train that is the Geneva College men's basketball team kept chugging along on Wednesday night, with the Golden Tornadoes taking control of their game at Franciscan early and never allowing the underdog Barons a chance for the upset, winning convincingly 81-56. The victory is Geneva's ninth straight, improving its record to 17-2 overall, 13-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Franciscan dropped to 7-11 overall, 4-10 in the PAC.
Two early three-pointers from Franciscan's Nicholas Allienello allowed the Barons to take their only lead of the game in the opening minutes. However, a three-point play from junior Payton Triplett, followed by a long-range triple from Triplett, pulled Geneva even. Sophomore Jonathan Bertovich added a three-pointer, Triplett hit a jump hook, and then senior Ryan Rachic scored three straight baskets to cap off 14 straight Geneva points over a three-minute stretch to give the Golden Tornadoes a 17-6 lead just five minutes into the game.
The Geneva lead only briefly dipped below double digits the rest of the game, the last time coming with seven minutes left in the half, 29-21. Triplett answered with a layup, and junior Trevor Tipton drained a three-pointer on Geneva's next possession, and the game was never really in doubt again. In fact, Geneva finished the half on a 14-2 run after junior Mark Rachic scored the final seven Golden Tornado points to give the men a 43-24 lead at the break.
Franciscan never got closer than 15 points in the second half, and that was in the opening minutes. After the Barons pulled within 47-32, Geneva followed with a 20-4 run to push its lead over 30 points, 67-36, midway through the half. The big edge allowed Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero to get a number of reserves some extended playing time as the Golden Tornadoes easily closed out their ninth straight victory, 81-56.
Triplett led the offense with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, while Ryan Rachic was right behind with 16 points. Tipton, Mark Rachic and sophomore Trey Barker each finished with nine points as all 18 Golden Tornadoes on the roster saw the action in the game. Geneva shot 29-of-55 (52.7%) from the floor, 8-of-20 (40%) from three-point range. The men also hit an impressive 15-of-17 (88.2%) from the foul line. The Golden Tornadoes held a big advantage on the boards, 39-24.
Franciscan finished 20-of-53 (37.7%) from the floor, 5-of-16 (31.3%) from three-point range. The Barons were led by Sawyer Butler's 11 points.
"This was another good effort from the guys tonight, especially on the defensive end," said Coach Santarsiero. "Ryan and Payton played really well in the first half, and then we were able to get up enough to allow all our guys to get some well-deserved playing time. Our reserves work just as hard each day as our starters and its good to be able to reward them with some playing time. Our starters are also a little banged up as we near the end of the season, so it's good to be able to give them some extra rest. So this was a good win for us, and now we need to get ready for another road trip on Saturday."
The men will head to Allegheny on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff with the Golden Tornadoes looking for their first double-digit winning streak since the 1995-96 season, when Geneva won 11 straight games.
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).
