BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva men's basketball team battled hard against Grove City College in Tuesday night's quarterfinal game, nearly coming back from a 17-point second half deficit, but fell in the end 69-61. The game featured the two top defensive sides in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), and the Wolverines emerged victorious after losing to Geneva less than a week prior. The GTs finish the season with an overall record of 14-12, 12-8 in PAC play.

In a game that was bound to be a defensive battle from the get-go, it took Geneva two minutes to get on the board, with senior Trevor Tipton finally getting a put-back layup to fall. One minute later, Tipton gave the men their first lead of the game with a three-pointer from the wing, and on the next possession another trey from freshman Tommy Coletti put the GTs up 8-2. A no-look pass by junior Jonathan Bertovich led to an easy layup from senior Mark Rachic, and the men found themselves with an 11-2 advantage at the 13:51 mark.

Following a media timeout, the Wolverines regained their composure, scoring the next 11 points to take a 13-11 lead. That run would continue into a 21-2 stretch for the visitors, until finally an and-one bucket inside by Rachic stopped the bleeding for the GTs. A three-pointer from Coletti brought Geneva back within six points, 25-19, but Grove City continued to score over the next couple of minutes, with Rachic keeping the men within striking distance with two contested layups in close. A layup from graduate student Ryan Rachic cut the deficit back down to six, and two Coletti free throws before the half ended made the score 31-27 Grove City as the two sides headed to the locker room.

It was a slow start to the second half offensively for the men, with a Ryan Rachic layup the only Geneva basket in the first four and a half minutes. Thankfully, the Golden Tornado defense held Grove City to just four points during that span, and the men were able to keep the score close. Over the next five minutes, however, the Wolverines built their lead up to as many as 13 points, and momentum seemed to be entirely on the visitors' side.

A Tipton three cut the deficit back down to ten points at the 10:20 mark, but Geneva struggled to bring the difference into single digits for the next three minutes, until another three from Ryan Rachic made it a nine-point game, 52-43. Grove City scored the next eight points to extend its lead up to 17, but a three-pointer by junior Nick Million gave Geneva's offense a little bit of life. Ryan Rachic stuck a long jumper, junior Alec Srock hit a contested layup, and Tipton sunk another triple to make the score 62-53 Wolverines with 3:01 to play. Mark Rachic converted a three-point play, and Ryan Rachic hit a jumper to cut the deficit to four points, 62-58, with two minutes left. Unfortunately, that was where the momentum ended for the men, and Grove City closed out the half to win the game 69-61.

In the final game of his collegiate career, Ryan Rachic led the team in both points scored (19) and rebounds (7). Mark Rachic and Trevor Tipton, also playing in their final games, scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, with Rachic grabbing six boards as well. As a team, Geneva made just 21-of-56 (38%) shots from the field, 7-of-21 (33%) from the three-point line, while Grove City was 29-for-62 (47%) on the evening. Isaac Cherry led the Wolverines with 15 points and eight rebounds.

"We shot the ball very poorly, especially in the first half," said head coach Jeff Santarsiero after the game. "Credit to Grove City, they hit contested shots, and we went cold at a bad time. They hit more than we did and did a good job defensively on some of our guys. Sad to say goodbye to the seniors – this class is going to go down as one of the best ever, at least in my tenure. It's a very special group of guys."

The loss brings Geneva's PAC championship defense to an end, and Grove City moves on to play No. 1 Chatham in the semifinal round. Tipton, both Rachic brothers, graduate student KC Johns, and senior Payton Triplett, who has been injured this season, will all graduate at the end of this semester, leaving the Golden Tornadoes with lots of holes to fill in the roster before next season.

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).