Canton, OH - The Geneva College and Malone College men′s basketball teams played against each every year from 1985 until 2008. The two teams took a year off in 2009 but renewed the rivalry on Wednesday night and the Golden Tornadoes made the game worth the wait. Geneva upset the 22nd ranked Pioneers by the score of 81-77 to move its record to 6-2 on the season. "Simply a huge win for the program," said head coach Jeff Santarsiero. "We have learned how to close out games and win down the stretch and that is a great sign early in the year."
Geneva trailed Malone 34-29 at the end of the first half but the excitement and Geneva′s offensive attack was just getting warmed up. The Golden Tornadoes posted 52 second half points in coming back to beat the Pioneers. After shooting 25% in the first half, Geneva made 18-29 (62%) shots from the field in the final 20 minutes and continued to sizzle from beyond the arc with seven three′s in the second half and ten for the game. After scoring a season low eight points on Monday night, Richard Colick came back with 26 points on Wednesday including an 8-9 mark from the foul line. The PAC leader from three-point range, Bryan Hill, hit four more treys and finished with 14 points. Colick added 11 rebounds to his total and Lambros Svingos recorded another double-double with 15 points and ten boards. "We continue to be very balanced on offense," explained Santarsiero. "When we start clicking like we did in the second half, we can beat anyone on our schedule."
A pair of Brandon Sopko free throws with 3:17 to play gave Geneva a five point advantage and Geneva′s defense locked down from there. With just under a minute left in regulation, Hill knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game to seal the victory and send Geneva home on a happy bus ride and its second consecutive road game in three days.
The Golden Tornadoes return home on Saturday night to face Bethany College in a 7:30 pm tip-off.
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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