GROVE CITY, Pa. – Geneva men's basketball led by as many as 17 points in the second half Wednesday night, but a late-game comeback by Grove City College upset the men in the end, and they fell 62-61. The Golden Tornadoes had won seven straight games against the Wolverines up to that point, but that streak came to an end with a last-possession shot falling for the home side. The men's record now stands at 6-6 overall, 4-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Grove City improves to 10-3 overall, 7-1 in the PAC.

Both teams struggled to score at the outset of the game, with a short jump shot from graduate student Ryan Rachic finally putting Geneva on the board at the 17:48 mark. Solid defense by Grove City allowed the home side to take a 7-2 lead, and that developed into an 11-5 run that put the Wolverines up 13-7. Senior Mark Rachic nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half for Geneva, but the Wolverines immediately answered with a three of their own to go in front 16-10 over halfway through the period.

At the 6:49 mark of the first half, junior Jonathan Bertovich stuck a trey that seemed to ignite the men's offense. It spurred a 13-2 run for the Golden Tornadoes, highlighted by a three-pointer by graduate student KC Johns and a couple of buckets in the paint from junior Alec Srock. Back-to-back jump shots by Mark Rachic gave the GTs a 27-23 lead, but Grove City drew back within two points by way of a jumper on the next possession.

Ryan Rachic stuck a short jump shot to make it a two-possession game once again, and that shot was the catalyst for another 9-2 Geneva run. Senior Trevor Tipton drilled a three-ball, and the GTs hit four foul shots right at the end of the half to go into the break leading 36-27.

The men opened the second half with five consecutive points, getting buckets from both Rachic brothers. Bertovich drove in and scored after a Grove City basket, and a Tipton three-pointer on the next possession gave the GTs their largest lead of the game, 46-29. The Wolverines tightened up defensively at that point, and slowly began to work their way back, putting together a three-and-a-half minute stretch in which they outscored Geneva 14-2.

With the GTs leading 48-43, Ryan Rachic went to work and scored lay-ins on back-to-back possessions. Mark Rachic got a layup of his own to push Geneva's lead back up to double-digits, and the difference remained between seven and ten points for the next six minutes. Freshman Tommy Coletti hit a free throw with 4:11 to play, but that would prove to be the last point Geneva scored in the game, with the Wolverines closing on an 11-1 run and taking the lead with eight seconds remaining on a jump shot from Mike Christenson. The men could not find a quality shot on the final possession, and despite leading for the entire second half up until that final basket they ended up dropping the game, 62-61.

For Geneva, Ryan Rachic led the way offensively with 19 points and five rebounds, with Mark Rachic right behind him at 17 points and six boards. Johns finished with nine points and five rebounds. The reserves for both sides ended up being the difference makers, with Grove City's bench outscoring Geneva's 20-5. Christenson led the Wolverines in scoring, posting 15 points and seven rebounds.

"We didn't play well down stretch, and they did," commented Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero after the game. "We went cold, missing some open looks and making some mental errors that really cost us late. We didn't dig in to get a stop, and they kept scoring toward the end there. A team can't afford to make many mistakes in a game like that, and a couple of costly turnovers and fouls ended up being the difference. We'll learn from this game and come back ready to play."

Geneva's next matchup comes on the road against Chatham University this Saturday, January 11^th, with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 PM. After that, the GTs will have a week off before returning home for a game with Franciscan next week 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).