BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It didn't come easily, but the Geneva College men's basketball team secured the top seed for the upcoming Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs with a hard fought 71-66 victory over rival Westminster on Wednesday night inside Metheny Fieldhouse. The victory, which moved Geneva's overall record to 22-3, 18-2 in the PAC, wraps up the regular season for the Golden Tornadoes. Westminster dropped to 10-13 overall, 8-11 in the PAC.
The game proved to be a grind right from the start. Geneva came out cold, with a spinning layup from sophomore Jonathan Bertovich the only Golden Tornado points in the opening four minutes. Westminster, on the other hand, hit a couple of early three-pointers and grabbed a quick 10-2 edge.
The Titans still led 14-7 six minutes into the game when Geneva put together its best stretch of the game. The Golden Tornadoes held Westminster scoreless for the next six minutes while scoring 15 straight points. Senior Ryan Rachic got the run started with a couple of buckets, and graduate student Isaac Massie capped off the run with two three-pointers, the first of which he was fouled on and converted into a four-point play, giving Geneva what proved to be its biggest lead of the game, 22-14.
Westminster answered right back, though, as the Golden Tornadoes began to labor offensively again, unable to consistently knock down open jump shots. The Titans responded with a 12-3 run to regain the lead, 26-25. Geneva put together another run in response, with a layup from junior Payton Triplett giving the Golden Tornadoes a 34-29 lead late in the half before the Titans scored a bucket to pull within three points at the break.
Geneva came old cold again to start the second half, similar to the start of the first half. The Golden Tornadoes managed just two points in the opening five minutes, and the Titans took advantage with an 11-2 stretch to open the final half, taking the lead back, 42-36.
Junior Mark Rachic helped bring Geneva back from that deficit, converting back-to-back traditional three-point plays to pull the Golden Tornadoes level, and then junior Trevor Tipton hit two free throws, followed by his own three-point play, to cap off eleven straight points by Geneva.
The game continued to be one of runs, though, as Westminster had an answer in response. The Titans followed Geneva's run with a 12-2 run to turn the Golden Tornadoes' five-point lead into a Westminster five-point lead, 54-49, midway through the half.
Geneva scored the next six points, two each by Massie, Ryan Rachic and Tipton, to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, and the game went back-and-forth over the remainder of the game. At one point Massie hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the men a 63-59 lead with five minutes left, but Westminster scored the next five points to take its final lead of the game, 64-63, with just under four minutes remaining.
Massie was fouled on Geneva's next possession and converted two free throws to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, and Westminster would never lead again. In fact, Geneva held the Titans to just two points over the final four minutes, and two free throws from Massie with 21 seconds remaining sealed the gritty victory, 71-66.
Massie was the key to the offense in the game, finishing with 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, 4-of-7 from three-point range, while knocking down 7-of-7 from the foul line. Tipton finished with 14 points, Mark and Ryan Rachic added 10 points apiece, while Triplett chipped in with nine points.
Geneva finished the game 25-of-61 (41%) from the floor, just 7-of-23 (30.4%) from three-point range, but the Golden Tornadoes did knock down 14-of-15 (93.3%) from the foul line. Geneva held a small edge on the board, 38-35, while forcing 16 Westminster turnovers.
The Titans finished the game with better shooting percentages, hitting 26-of-60 (43.3%) from the floor, 9-of-20 (45%) from the three-point line. Reese Leone, who hit 4-of-7 from three-point range, led Westminster with 16 points.
"This was a battle all night, but we came through late with some key defensive stops down the stretch, which really won us the game," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "I'm really proud of what this team has accomplished so far this year, both for the program and for the college, but there's much work left to do. Isaac really led us tonight, especially his outside shooting, while Mark gave us a spark off the bench with his play. So we're going to enjoy a little bit of rest now, and then we'll figure out who we play next Thursday in the playoffs."
The men are off this Saturday on the final regular season date of the year, and they'll get a bye in the first round of the playoffs by virtue of their first place standing. Geneva will host a semifinal game next Thursday inside Metheny Fieldhouse, and if the men manage to win that game, they'll host the PAC Championship next Saturday.
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).
