BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Behind five scorers in double figures and an offense that shot 64 percent from the field, Geneva College was in control of the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Basketball Tournament championship game throughout in posting an 83-63 victory over Saint Vincent College Saturday night at Metheny Fieldhouse.

With the victory and the conference title, the first PAC crown for the Geneva program, the Golden Tornadoes (24-3) have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Selections and match-ups for the Tournament will be announced Monday afternoon at 1 pm on NCAA.com.

Saturday, Feb. 24 (Championship Game - Beaver Falls, Pa.)
No. 1 Geneva 83, No. 2 Saint Vincent 63
Second-seeded Saint Vincent (23-4) opened the game with the first six points, but top seed Geneva answered in a big way, scoring 11 straight to start a 20-2 blitz that put the GTs in front 20-8. Sophomore guard Jonathan Bertovich (East Palestine, Ohio/Heartland Christian) sparked the Geneva run with 10 points, including a pair of triples. 

Saint Vincent had a response, scoring 12 of the next 17 points to get back within single digits and would get as close as four at 34-30 following a three-pointer from senior guard Taylor McNeal (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis De Sales) but Geneva would regain the momentum before halftime. The home team closed the first half with seven straight points off a jumper by junior guard/forward Trevor Tipton (Glenside, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian Academy), a three-point play by senior forward Ryan Rachic (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert) and two free throws by junior guard Mark Rachic (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert) to take a 41-30 lead into the intermission.

The key to the first half was Geneva's shooting, as the Golden Tornadoes converted 67 percent (14-21) from the floor and 91 percent (10-11) from the foul line in the opening 20 minutes. Although Saint Vincent did make 3-of-6 from the arc, the Bearcats finished the opening half shooting just 34 percent (11-32).

Saint Vincent had the first bucket of the second half on a lay-in by senior guard Osyon Jones (Orlando, Fla./Bishop Moore) to make it 41-32, but that was the last time the spread between the teams was in single digits. Consecutive baskets by Geneva pushed the lead to double figures and the Golden Tornadoes continued to shoot at a blistering rate to put the game away. Their lead was never less than 10 over the final 16 minutes and grew as large as 22 before the final buzzer sounded

The GTs nearly matched their first-half shooting by knocking down 18-of-29 in the second half and finished the night shooting 64 percent (32-50). Leading the outstanding offensive performance was Bertovich, who shot 80 percent from the floor (8-10) and arc (4-5) on his way to a team-best 20 points and he also posted a team-high seven rebounds and two steals.

Four others scored in double figures for Geneva, including Mark Rachic with 18, Ryan Rachic with 15, graduate student guard Isaac Massie (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Homeschooled) with 13 and Tipton with 11. Following the Championship win, which makes Geneva the 17th PAC program to win a conference title, three players were selected to the All-Tournament Team. Massie, whose three-point play with 0.8 seconds left in Thursday's semifinal win over Grove City sent Geneva to the title game, was chosen as the MVP while Ryan Rachic and Mark Rachic were also chosen for the Team.

For Saint Vincent, sophomore guard Dev Ostrowski (Niantic, Conn./East Lyme) led all scorers with 21 points and also had a game-high nine boards, while McNeal and Jones also notched 13 points apiece. Ostrowski and Jones were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

2023-24 PAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, February 20 - campus sites
No. 5 Grove City 65, No. 4 Waynesburg 58
No. 3 Chatham 96, No. 6 Bethany 90 - 2OT

Semifinals - Thursday, February 22 - campus sites
No. 1 Geneva 68, No. 5 Grove City 67
No. 2 Saint Vincent 88, No. 3 Chatham 83 - OT

Championship - Saturday, February 24 - Beaver Falls, Pa.
No. 1 Geneva 83, No. 2 Saint Vincent 63