WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Geneva men's basketball team fell behind early against Washington and Jefferson Tuesday night, and despite drawing within four points midway through the second half the GTs could not complete the comeback, losing 85-69. It's been a difficult stretch for the men as they battle injuries early in the season, and the loss drops their record to 2-6 overall, 2-3 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play. Meanwhile, W&J has opened its season with an overall record of 7-2, 5-1 in the PAC.

The two sides traded baskets to open the game, with a layup and three-pointer by freshman Tommy Coletti tying the score at five early on. W&J responded with a layup and a three-pointer of its own, and although graduate student Ryan Rachic knocked down a jumper to pull the men within three, it proved to be the last time Geneva would be within one possession of their opposition as the Presidents took off on an 11-2 run.

Juniors Alec Srock and Nick Million got baskets to cut the deficit to five points, 18-13, but again the home side responded with two buckets of their own. The Golden Tornadoes kept it close as the half began to wind down thanks to three-pointers by Coletti and junior Jonathan Bertovich, but the Presidents pushed their lead to double digits just before the half. Two free throws from Ryan Rachic with nine seconds left in the frame made it a single-digit game again, but the Golden Tornadoes went into the locker room trailing 43-34.

The game was evenly contested in the opening part of the second half, and a layup from graduate student KC Johns paired with a trey from senior Mark Rachic and a Ryan Rachic layup got the Golden Tornadoes within four points with 13:48 to play. Unfortunately, the men could not cut into the deficit any further, and before long W&J's lead was back in the double digits. Ryan Rachic did his best to keep the men in the game, hitting a three and a few free throws to make it an eight-point difference, but the Presidents continued to make shots down the stretch and Geneva was not able to match them. When the final buzzer sounded, the home side had won 85-69.

Again, Ryan Rachic led the men, recording a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mark Rachic scored 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Coletti contributed 11 points as well. The Golden Tornadoes shot well from the field, going 6-for-15 (40%) from behind the arc and 26-for-52 (50%) overall, but 19 turnovers limited the damage they did despite being efficient overall offensively.

Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero expressed his frustration after the loss. "We are going through a rough stretch right now, and I'm pretty frustrated with how we are playing. We are getting outworked at key moments of the game, and that's not a trait that a Geneva team has had for a while around here. We've got to get back to playing how we are capable of, because right now we just are not playing well enough to consistently win games in this conference."

The loss wraps up a three-game road stretch for the men, and they will have the weekend to rest up and recover. Next up is a home tilt against Bethany College, slated to take place Tuesday, December 17^th, with a 7:30 PM tip-off.

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).