Beaver Falls, PA– Geneva never led for a second in its game with Franciscan and trailed by as many as 14 points at one point, but fought back and cut the deficit to one at 58-57 on a layup by senior Tyler Damazo (Beaver Falls, PA/Blackhawk) with 1:04 left in the game.
Franciscan, though, made three of four free throws in the final seconds and Geneva lost for the third time in four games. It was also the third time in four games that the Golden Tornadoes have been involved in a game decided by seven points or less.
“We didn’t play smart basketball, I’m real disappointed,” said Geneva coach Jeff Santarsiero. “Franciscan scored on 13 of its first 15 possessions in the first half and we had to fight back the whole game.
“We had three straight stops at one point and then had three straight turnovers. We’re using young guys and we’ll have to get better.”
The Golden Tornadoes were led by senior Jacob Jaros (Levittsburg, OH/LaBrae) with 17 points and eight rebounds. The 6-foot-5 guard made six of eight shots from the field.
Freshman Jimmy Leichliter (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville) played the best game of his young career, scoring 14 points as he made five of seven from the field. Damazo finished with 10 points and eight rebounds as well.
Geneva’s season continues Tuesday at 5:30 when it hosts Hiram.
Geneva College invites students to step forward and leap ahead with an academically excellent, Christ-centered and affordable education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and campus-based options, and high-demand advanced graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top 10 Best Value with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the inerrancy of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.
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