LANCASTER, Pa. – The Geneva College men's basketball team had a tough opening matchup on Friday night on the first day of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Proven Classic, hosted at Lancaster Bible. The Golden Tornadoes took on the hosts Lancaster Bible, and after hanging with the talented Chargers early on, Lancaster Bible pulled away for the 100-72 victory. Geneva is now 1-1 overall this year.
The Golden Tornadoes knew they would have their hands full on Friday night against a Lancaster Bible squad that defeated PAC preseason favorite W&J by almost 40 points in its season opener. Geneva hung with the Chargers early, though.
Sophomore Tayt Lucas opened the scoring a minute into the game with a three-pointer. Lancaster Bible responded with a 15-4 run over the next eight minutes to grab a 15-7 edge, but the Golden Tornadoes battled back. A layup from freshman Maverick Ball, a three-pointer from junior Tommy Coletti, and then a layup and back-to-back three-pointers by freshman Lawson Harris made up a 13-1 run that gave Geneva a 20-16 lead with eight minutes left in the half.
Geneva held a small advantage, 31-30, after another three-pointer from Lucas with three minutes left, but Lancaster Bible finished the half with an 11-1 run to take a 41-32 advantage into the break.
The Chargers continued that momentum into the second half, coming out red hot and stretching their lead to 65-40 eight minutes into the half with a 24-8 run, taking control of the game with their hot shooting. The combined 35-9 run was the difference in the game over that 12-minute stretch at the end of the first half and the start of the second half. Lancaster Bible eventually finished off the game, 100-72.
Lucas led the offense with a career-high 17 points, adding seven rebounds, while Coletti contributed 14 points and six rebounds. Harris also reached double figures with 12 points. Geneva shot 26-of-68 (38.2%) from the floor, 12-of-33 (36.4%) from three-point range. The Golden Tornadoes struggled with 27 turnovers, compared to just 13 for Lancaster Bible.
"Lancaster Bible is a good team," said Head Coach DJ Damazo. "They're extremely physical and disruptive defensively and got us out of rhythm, particularly when Ryan went down. I am really proud of the guys for fighting for 40 minutes, despite lots of adversity. We look forward to getting back after it tomorrow!"
Trey Grube led the Chargers with 21 points. Lancaster Bible shot 33-of-68 (48.5%) from the floor, 9-of-22 (40.9%) from three-point range.
The men will take on Cairn at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow on the final day of the FCA 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).
