Geneva wins close contest with Kenyon

Box Score GAMBIER, Ohio -- In a game that saw 11 lead changes and 10 tied scores, the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes broke loose in the final minutes to secure a 95-89 non-conference win over the Kenyon College men's basketball team at Tomsich Arena on Monday night.

Following a first half that ended in a 44-44 deadlock, the Golden Tornadoes slowly pulled away in the opening minutes of the second half. A Gabe Lerer layup started an 8-0 run that gave Geneva a 62-53 advantage with 14:05 remaining on the clock. Lerer had three points in the run, while Mike Melewski dropped in a field goal and Matt Veynovich converted a three-pointer.

About four minutes later, Lyle Tipton buried another three-pointer to give the Golden Tornadoes a 12-point advantage, their largest spread.

Nick Lewis, David Mazon and the rest of the Lords then went to work hacking away at the deficit. Lewis drained a three-ball and later sank two free throws to pull the Lords within four points. Mazon followed with a layup and then another long ball to cut the deficit to three.

With 3:16 left, Juan Sergio Matabuena popped in one more Kenyon three-pointer and tied the score at 76-76.

Down the stretch, Tipton took over the game, scoring nine points in less than three minutes. Kenyon pulled within two points three more times, but a pair of turnovers cost the Lords a shot at the win.

The Golden Tornadoes, playing in their first game of the season, closed things out by hitting nine of their last 10 free throws.

Tipton was clearly the star for Geneva, he converted 12-of-16 free throws throughout the game and ended up with a game-high 39 points. On top of that, the 6-3 swingman added a team-high 10 rebounds.

Ryan Rachic scored 19, and both Veynovich and Isaac Massie scored 11 for Geneva, which shot 48.4 percent from the floor (31-of-64).

Lewis paced Kenyon with 22 points, including a 5-of-10 showing from three-point territory. Mazon contributed 14 points, going 4-of-8 from long range. Gefen Bar-Cohen scored 13 and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Miles Versa scored 12 and Connor Moss chipped in with 11, giving all five Kenyon starters a double-digit scoring output.

The Lords, who slipped to 0-3 with the loss, shot 44.2 percent overall (34-of-77) and that included a 44.7 percent showing (17-of-38) from beyond the three-point arc.

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Players Mentioned

#24 Nick Lewis: G/F; 6' 4"; Junior

#15 Connor Moss: G; 6' 2"; First-Year

#21 Gefen Bar-Cohen: F; 6' 4"; First-Year

#23 David Mazon III: F; 6' 5"; First-Year

#30 Juan Sergio Matabuena: F; 6' 6"; First-Year

#31 Miles Versa: G; 6' 0"; First-Year

Players Mentioned

#24 Nick Lewis
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G/F

#15 Connor Moss
: 6' 2"; First-Year
: G

#21 Gefen Bar-Cohen
: 6' 4"; First-Year
: F

#23 David Mazon III
: 6' 5"; First-Year
: F

#30 Juan Sergio Matabuena
: 6' 6"; First-Year
: F

#31 Miles Versa
: 6' 0"; First-Year
: G