WOOSTER, Ohio – After over three weeks off for winter break, the Geneva men's basketball team returned to play at The College of Wooster Monday evening, falling to the Fighting Scots 80-63 in the first matchup of the Wooster Kiwanis Classic. Hosted by Wooster, the Classic features four programs from four different states this year, with Hanover and Wisconsin-Platteville also participating in the tournament.

The Golden Tornadoes struggled to score at the outset of the game, with a top-of-the-key three-pointer by senior Trey Barker the only Geneva points through the first six minutes. Wooster gained a double-digit edge during that span, going ahead 13-3, until finally a driving layup by senior Jonathan Bertovich ended the men's scoring drought. Sophomore Tommy Coletti sunk a short floater to give Geneva another bucket, but the Fighting Scots continued to add to their advantage, pushing their lead to 21-7 by the 11:41 mark.

Consecutive baskets in the paint by senior Alec Srock cut Geneva's deficit to ten points before Wooster answered back with a three-pointer. Barker nailed his second triple of the game two possessions later, but the GTs struggled to get the difference below ten points as Wooster continued to hit shots. Despite senior Nick Million sticking back-to-back three-balls as the half wound to a close, the hosts led 43-29 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Fighting Scots picked up right where they left off to start the second half, hitting a three-pointer to go ahead by 17 points. Geneva didn't back down, getting consecutive buckets from Bertovich and Barker, and then a trey by Million cut the difference to 12 points, 48-36. Similarly to the first half, however, the men couldn't find a way to bring the deficit below double digits, and despite a thundering poster dunk by Million the hosts were able to go up 20 points with 11:45 to play.

Million and Coletti combined for multiple baskets each as the game wound on, but it wasn't enough as the Fighting Scots had built up enough of a lead to weather the storm. Wooster took the victory 80-63.

The Golden Tornadoes struggled to get shots to fall all night long, shooting just 22-for-59 (37%) from the floor while the hosts made 57% of their shots (32-for-56), including a 10-for-22  (46%) effort from long-range. Million was Geneva's leading scorer, notching 18 points as well as a team-best eight rebounds, while Coletti contributed 14 points, seven boards, and four assists in the loss. Barker and Srock each finished in double figures as well with 11 and 10 points each, respectively.

"We had a tough time shooting the ball tonight," remarked head coach Jeff Santarsiero after the fact. "There were a lot of opportunities, but we just could not get anything to go down. There's a lot to fix before league play starts back up, but for now we have to prepare for a game against a very good team. That's why we play these tournaments with such good competition – to get ready for conference play."

The GTs will take on the loser of tonight's game between Hanover and Wisconsin-Platteville tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. on the final day of the Wooster Kiwanis Classic.

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).