BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with Saint Vincent College Saturday afternoon, sticking with the Bearcats from the tip-off to the final whistle, but the visitors came away with a 70-63 victory late after some big possessions did not go Geneva's way. The GTs' overall record now stands at 8-11, 5-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while the Bearcats are now 12-7 overall, 7-3 in PAC play.

Prior to the beginning of the game, Geneva honored the 2000-01 men's basketball team that won the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Championship. The '00-01 Golden Tornadoes celebrated the 25^th anniversary of their title this season and were recognized at half-court for their accomplishments.

Not much separated the two sides in the first half. Saint Vincent scored first, but layups by sophomore Austin Matthews and senior Nick Million gave the men a 4-2 edge two and a half minutes in. Both teams traded buckets over the next several minutes, with neither side taking more than a four-point lead until a Dev Ostrowski jumper put the Bearcats up 20-14 at the 10:18 mark.

That shot was part of a larger 11-2 run for the visitors, and eventually they pushed their advantage to nine points with six minutes to play in the half. Million responded for the GTs with two long jump shots in quick succession, and then he nailed a three-pointer as time expired to cut the deficit to four points at the end of the frame, 29-25.

Defense was the name of the game to open the second half, with nobody scoring points for the first two minutes of the period. The Bearcats scored twice in the paint to break the drought, and a Matthews layup got the Golden Tornadoes on the board three minutes in. Saint Vincent pushed its advantage back up to eight points, but Geneva cut the deficit to three thanks to a jump shot by senior Trey Barker and three consecutive free throws from senior Jonathan Bertovich.

The difference remained around three points for the next few minutes, but the Bearcats began to inch ahead slowly after that. Their lead grew to as many as 11 points, hovering there for a little while before a clutch triple by Barker gave Geneva some momentum late in the game. Sophomore Tommy Coletti sank two free throws to bring the GTs within five points, 63-58, with 42 seconds to play, but a Geneva turnover two possessions later sealed the Golden Tornadoes' fate. Saint Vincent held on the rest of the way to secure the victory.

Geneva did not shoot well as a team, hitting just 21-of-55 (38.2%) shots and 5-of-24 (20.8%) from distance. Meanwhile, Saint Vincent shot 26-for-57 (45.6%) from the floor, outscoring Geneva in the paint 40-26.

Million scored a team-high 18 points for the men in the loss, tying for the team-lead with six rebounds as well. Coletti finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, notching six boards and a steal, while Matthews scored 12 points in close to go with six rebounds in a solid defensive outing. For Saint Vincent, Jaden Payne ended with 18 points, and Jaden Gales notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.

"Really proud of our effort today," said head coach Jeff Santarsiero afterward. "We hung with them, and that's a really good offensive team averaging over 82 points a game. The start of the second half was a key moment, when both teams had five empty possessions – we could have tied the game or taken a lead if we hit some shots there. It was a physical game. I told them in the locker room, if we keep bringing that energy every game, we'll be fine."

The men remain at home for their next game, a 7:30 p.m. contest versus Grove City next Wednesday, February 4.

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).