DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was a back-and-forth contest between Geneva and Beloit College in the opening game of the Daytona Beach Shootout on Thursday, but the men emerged victorious with a 67-64 win over the Buccaneers. In a matchup that featured 14 different lead changes, the Golden Tornadoes closed the game on a 7-0 run to seal the deal late. The win pushes Geneva's overall record up to 4-6, and it represents the GTs' first non-conference victory of the season.

After Beloit started the action with a made basket on the opening possession, junior Jonathan Bertovich responded with a three-pointer to give the men their first lead of the game. The two sides went back-and-forth over the next five minutes, with four different players scoring for Geneva over that span, highlighted by a trey from senior Mark Rachic. With 11:23 to play in the first half, the Buccaneers took a five-point lead on a fast break dunk, and they kept that advantage for the next four minutes.

Freshman Tommy Coletti scored in the paint and Rachic hit another three-pointer to knot the score at 21 at the 5:28 mark. Beloit scored on the next possession, but Bertovich nailed a three to give the Golden Tornadoes their first lead since the early part of the contest. Five quick points from the Buccaneers shifted momentum back to the side from Wisconsin, but Bertovich and junior Brayden Costea hit two more three-pointers to send Geneva in front again. A Bertovich layup toward the end of the half put the GTs up three points, and after a late basket by Beloit the Golden Tornadoes went into the break with a slim 32-31 lead.

Beloit seized control of the game right out of the half by way of an 8-2 run. However, Bertovich picked up right where he left off, nailing back-to-back treys to give the lead back to the men. Another 8-3 Buccaneer run shifted the lead back to Beloit, and there it would stay for the next several minutes despite two threes from graduate student Ryan Rachic and junior Nick Million.

Graduate student KC Johns got a shot to fall in close to tie the score at 55-55 with 7:04 to play. The Golden Tornadoes continued to play scrappy defense, keeping the game tight, but it wasn't until the 1:15 mark of the second half that Geneva was able to retake the lead. Ryan Rachic received a pass from Bertovich behind the arc and drained a three-pointer to put Geneva in front, 66-63, the first lead of over two points for the men since the end of the first half. Two consecutive stops on defense sealed the deal for the GTs, and Mark Rachic hit his free throws at the end of the game to give the men a 68-63 victory.

Bertovich had his best game of the season, tying his career-high with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a very impressive 6-of-9 from three-point range. Mark Rachic scored 15 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists, and Ryan Rachic contributed 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds as well. The men had their best night shooting from behind the arc all season, going 12-for-27 (44%) as a team from distance, compared to Beloit's 5-of-19 (26%) mark.

"The guys really battled, they were very physical all game long," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero afterward. "JB had a tremendous game - it was good to have him get back in the swing of things. Mark and Ryan did a good job rebounding, and Ryan hit a big three at the end that was huge for us. We rebounded well at the end of the game and played with good intensity. It was a hard-fought win tonight, and now we have a very quick turnaround to face a good opponent tomorrow in Lasell."

That game against Lasell will be Geneva's final matchup of the calendar year and will wrap up the men's time down in Florida. The contest is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM tomorrow, December 20^th, and will be the last time any Geneva team is in action until the new year.

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).