BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Geneva men's basketball went toe-to-toe with the high-powered offense of Washington and Jefferson College on Wednesday, but they could not nab the lead late and lost the game 89-77. While the men made it close for much of the game, the Presidents never relinquished the lead in the second half and closed well for the win. Geneva's record falls to 9-11 on the season, 7-8 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while W&J moves up to 16-5 overall, 12-4 in PAC play.

Both sides began the game red-hot offensively, with graduate student KC Johns scoring a layup and a three-pointer to give Geneva a 5-2 lead in the first 1:15 of the game. The W&J men responded with five quick points of their own to gain an early advantage, but Geneva took it right back on a layup and some free throws by senior Mark Rachic. The game went back-and-forth over the next several minutes, until finally a three pointer by Quinton Burlenski of the Presidents tied the score at 17 with 12:54 to play in the half.

The Presidents continued to shoot the ball well, using another three-pointer to take a five point lead. An and-1 triple by senior Trevor Tipton brought the GTs within a point, and two possessions later Rachic nailed a three to tie the score at 24 halfway through the period. Tipton put the Golden Tornadoes ahead 32-28 with another three-ball a few moments later, but the visitors quickly responded to retake the advantage. Yet another Tipton three-pointer at the 2:51 mark sent Geneva in front 43-41, but that ended up being the last time the men had the lead in the game. The Presidents closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 48-43 lead into the break.

That momentum continued over for W&J into the second half, as the visitors scored the first six points of the period. It took three and a half minutes for Geneva to get on the board in the second frame, with a shot-clock buzzer-beating layup by Tipton finally giving the men some second-half points. The Presidents extended their lead to as many as 13 points at the 13:38 mark, but the Golden Tornadoes did not lie down.

Back-to-back treys from junior Nick Million cut the visitors' lead to seven, and Tipton made it a four-point game just two minutes later with another three-pointer. The men brought the deficit all the way down to one point on a layup from Rachic with 6:58 to play, but that was where the GTs' offense stalled out. They had multiple opportunities over the next few minutes to take the lead, but W&J's defense held strong to stifle the Golden Tornadoes when it mattered most. The Presidents closed out the game on a 13-2 run to win it 89-77.

Tipton had his best game of the season, scoring 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 5-for-9 mark from long range. Mark Rachic scored 13 points to go with six rebounds and six assists, while Ryan Rachic contributed 12 points as well as eight boards and five assists. The men shot 29-of-61 (48%) from the field, 10-for-25 (40%) from distance, but turned the ball over 16 times and were outscored in points off turnovers 22-6.

"We played really well for about 32 minutes of the game," said Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero after the loss. "But again, those same mistakes that keep us from winning games keep on happening. I had a very animated discussion with the team today, so hopefully we'll correct those, but our margin for error is very slim as we go forward. W&J is a great team, so credit to them – they have a lot of weapons that can beat you."

Looking to hold onto a playoff spot down the final stretch of the season, the men have two road games coming up against Bethany and Westminster. They head down to take on the Bison on Saturday, February 8^th, at 3:00 p.m., before facing off against the Titans the following Wednesday.

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).