GREENVILLE, Pa. – Senior Jonathan Bertovich played the hero for Geneva men's basketball Wednesday night by scoring 17 points in the second half, including the go-ahead layup with two seconds to play to give the GTs a 63-61 victory over Thiel. After a slow start offensively, the men came back to seize the lead in the second half, showing their mettle en route to winning their fourth Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game. They now sit at 7-7 overall, 4-1 in the PAC, while Thiel slides to 4-9, 1-4 in PAC play.

Geneva opened the first half in a 2-3 zone, and the Tomcats immediately took advantage of it with some hot shooting out of the gate, hitting their first three shots of the game to grab an 8-3 advantage. They scored another bucket moments after missing their first shot of the contest, but Geneva appeared to figure things out defensively at that point, settling into the zone and scoring the next seven points to knot the score at 10.

The Tomcats responded well to Geneva's run, outscoring the Golden Tornadoes 10-2 over the next four minutes of play. A three-ball by junior Ryan Edwards at the 8:36 mark gave the men's offense some life, and a hook shot from sophomore Austin Matthews a few moments later made it a five-point game. It was a defensive game for the remainder of the half, with two free throws by Bertovich cutting the difference to two, 27-25, with 16 seconds to play, but a last-second shot by the Tomcats allowed them to take a 29-25 advantage into the break.

Bertovich came into the second half with some fire, scoring the first six Geneva points with three quick drives to the rim. The hosts remained tough, however, responding with points of their own each time to keep the GTs from tying the game. Finally, a driving layup by sophomore Tommy Coletti put the men ahead 39-37, and they had their first lead of the game with 14:31 remaining.

The game went back-and-forth over the next several minutes, with neither team gaining more than a four-point edge at any time. Bertovich continued to play well, knocking down an and-one turnaround jumper to give Geneva a 52-51 advantage with 7:50 to play. The Tomcats returned with six points to seize a two-possession lead, but Bertovich answered by way of a three-pointer plus the foul.

That bucket by Bertovich pulled Geneva within one point, and after Thiel sank a shot of its own, senior Trey Barker nailed a big-time three-pointer to even the score. He then splashed a shot on the next possession, giving the men the advantage with under a minute to play. The Tomcats tied the game from the free throw line their next time down the court, but Bertovich called game by hitting a slicing layup with two seconds to play, securing the win for Geneva.

The Golden Tornadoes pulled out the victory despite an off night from distance, shooting 26-for-56 (46.4%) from the field but just 3-for-14 (21.4%) from three-point land. Bertovich was the leading scorer, notching 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Barker chipped in with 13 points, and Matthews contributed 10 points and four boards off the bench. Senior Nick Million led the team in rebounding, pulling down eight boards. Khamari Accursio-Harris was Thiel's top scorer, recording 20 points before leaving late in the game due to injury.

"We were just a little lethargic in the first half, I'm not sure why," commented head coach Jeff Santarsiero after the game. "We kept it within striking distance in the first half, and once we got the lead I thought we played with good poise. Some big shots from JB and Trey down the stretch really helped us. We'll take it, and get ready for the next one on Saturday."

The men return home this weekend for a game against Waynesburg on Saturday, January 17. Tip off is at 3:00 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).