BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – In one of the most dramatic games in Geneva College men's basketball history, graduate student Isaac Massie converted a three-point play with 0.8 seconds remaining to defeat rival Grove City, 68-67, and pull out a win for the Golden Tornadoes when things looked bleak. The victory in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Semifinal matchup sends Geneva to the PAC Championship game on Saturday night, where Golden Tornadoes will host Saint Vincent. Geneva improved to 23-3 with the win, while Grove City saw its season come to an end despite a great effort from the underdog Wolverines.
The game was tight from the very beginning, with Geneva struggling to find the range from behind the arc. Grove City scored the opening bucket, followed by a free throw and a basket from junior Trevor Tipton. A Wolverine bucket gave Grove City an 11-10 edge five minutes into the game, a lead the Wolverines would hold for much of the first half.
Grove City eventually stretched its lead to 24-18 with 8:46 remaining, the biggest lead of the night for the Wolverines. Geneva quickly responded, though, with nine straight points to regain the lead. Senior Ryan Rachic scored in close, sophomore Jonathan Bertovich knocked down one of Geneva's two three-pointers in the first half, and Massie and Tipton knocked down jumpers to give the Golden Tornadoes their first lead, 27-24, since early in the half. That's where the margin stayed as Geneva took a 33-30 lead into the break.
Neither team could gain any separation in the second half either. Grove City came out with the better of the play early, though, and the Wolverines regained the lead and pushed their margin to 46-42 five minutes into the half. A three-pointer from junior Mark Rachic, who gave the Golden Tornadoes some great minutes off the bench, helped Geneva regain some offensive rhythm.
The lead bounced back-and-forth over the next several minutes before a three-pointer from sophomore Trey Barker, a three-point play from Ryan Rachic and a jumper from Massie gave Geneva its biggest lead of the game, 58-52, midway through the half.
However, Geneva's offense went cold over the next five minutes, failing to score as Grove City scored the next ten points of the game. A bucket from Mark Rachic finally got Geneva back on the board with less than five minutes left, and a free throw from Ryan Rachic, followed by back-to-back buckets from Massie, gave the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 65-62, with 2:21 left.
As they had done all game, though, the Wolverines had a response. A layup by Chase Yarberough, followed by a three-pointer from Yarberough with 1:13 left that hit the back rim, bounced high in the air, came back down, rolled around, and then dropped in, gave Grove City the lead back, 67-65. Things looked very dire when a corner three-pointer from Tipton missed and forced the Golden Tornadoes to foul with ten seconds left.
Geneva got the break it needed, though, when John Ward missed the front end of the one-and-one free throw. Mark Rachic grabbed the rebound, and the Golden Tornadoes quickly brought the ball to midcourt, calling timeout with 5.6 seconds left.
Massie in-bounded the ball out of the timeout to Ryan Rachic. Rachic immediately gave the ball back to Massie who curled around Rachic and drove down the lane. Yarberough came over to help on defense and hit Massie as he went up for the layup, and Massie finished through contact with 0.8 seconds left and got the foul call. Grove City called two timeouts to try to ice Massie's free throw, but the veteran drained the free throw anyway. Grove City's pass that went the length of the court went out of bounds, securing the dramatic victory, 68-67, as the students stormed the court.
"What relentless heart from our guys tonight," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero. "We never gave up, even when things looked bleak late, but that's been the M.O. of this team all year. They just don't quit. We certainly didn't shoot the ball well tonight, but we just grinded it out. Isaac was unbelievable down the stretch, but we got contributions from just about everyone. I'm really happy for our guys, but we've got to now quickly get ready for Saint Vincent on Saturday."
Ryan Rachic led the team with 16 points, while Tipton added 15 points. Massie and Mark Rachic each added 11 points, with Rachic grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Geneva shot just 25-of-63 (39.7%) from the floor, including just 6-of-25 (24%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornadoes helped their cause by committing just six turnovers.
Grove City finished 29-of-63 (46%) from the floor, 5-of-18 (27.8%) from three-point range. Yarberough scored a game-high 23 points for the Wolverines.
Geneva will now turn its attention to Saint Vincent on Saturday, who defeated Chatham in overtime in the other PAC Semifinal game on Thursday night. The PAC Championship game inside Metheny Fieldhouse will tip-off at 7:30 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).
