Beaver Falls, PA - In one of the most impressive displays in recent history, the Geneva College men′s basketball team jumped all over Thomas More in the first half in opening up a 32 point lead after 20 minutes of play. The Golden Tornadoes cruised in the second half and defeated the Saints by the count of 102-73 to improve to 9-3 on the season. Geneva is off to its best start in ten years as the leading offense in the Presidents′ Athletic Conference did little to spoil that distinction on Monday night.
"We really have the capability to be that explosive on any night," said head coach Jeff Santarsiero. "With the offensive weapons we have on this team, we can score a lot of points when we execute like we did tonight." Perfect offensive execution was on display from the first possession of the game. Geneva shot 58% in the first half including an 8-11 effort from three-point range. Meanwhile, Thomas More couldn′t buy a basket and managed only five field goals in falling behind 47-15 after 20 minutes. "We really wanted to get off to a good start and that was pretty much as well as we can play," said Santarsiero.
Thomas More outscored Geneva in a second half slugfest that featured a combined 113 points, but it was not enough for the Saints to overcome Geneva′s offensive exhibition. The Golden Tornadoes spread the offensive wealth around thanks to a career night from senior point guard Brandon Sopko. Sopko only scored three points but he dished out a career high 15 assists. Dave Phillips was the main benefactor with a game high 23 points on 6-8 shooting from three-point range. Lambros Svingos also got in on the act with 20 points on 10-13 shooting from the field. Bryan Hill (14 pts) and Richard Colick (13 pts) also finished the game in double figures.
"We are on a pretty nice roll right now but we have to keep our momentum going into the next few weeks. It will only get tougher as we get into the bulk of our conference schedule."
Geneva hits the road on Thursday when it travels to Saint Vincent College before returning home next week for games against Grove City and Westminster.
Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College′s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).
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