Posted: Nov 11, 2023
BEREA, Ohio - The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team fell to Geneva (Pa.) College by a score of 78-77 after trailing by as much as 19 points in a non-conference matchup in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
BW Leaders (1-1)
- Freshman forward AJ Pestello (Cuyahoga Falls/Stow-Munroe Falls) totaled 19 points and nine rebounds
- Senior Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference guard Luke Driscoll (Carmel, Calif./Stevenson School) had a statline of 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals
- Sophomore guard Ray Ellington (Westlake) led the team in scoring with 20 points while adding eight rebounds and two assists
- Sophomore guard Myles Reynolds (Cleveland/St. Edward) had a career-high 13 points while also shooting 50% from the field
Geneva Leaders (2-0)
- Junior guard Trevor Tipton led the Golden Tornadoes in scoring with 20 points
- Senior guard Isaac Massie added 19 points
- Sophomore guard Jonathan Bertovich grabbed nine boards and was third in scoring with 16 points
First Half (Geneva 50-37)
- Pestello started the scoring off with a layup which was BW's only lead of the game
- Geneva jumped out to a commanding 34-16 before the Yellow Jackets cut the lead to 13 just before the half
- The Yellow Jackets won the turnover battle by causing eight and recording four steals
- The Golden Tornadoes held BW to one made three pointer on seven attempts
Second Half (Geneva 78-77)
- Geneva dominated the beginning of the second half until BW went on a 33-18 run of their own and outscored the Golden Tornadoes 40-28 in the half
- Ellington scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half while Reynolds scored 9 of his 13
- The Yellow Jackets were down 12 points with six minutes to go but went on a 17-6 run to make it a one-point game with 1:37 left in the contest including a big three from sophomore guard Brayden Hamilton (Brunswick)
- Driscoll added a clutch steal to give BW a chance to score in the game's final seconds
- Ellington's attempt at a game-winner would not go but Pestello grabbed the rebound and made a layup at the buzzer hoping to draw a foul. However, none were called sealing the win for Geneva
Up Next
BW takes the court again on November 18 when they travel to Angola, Indiana for a non-conference matchup against Trine University at 2 p.m. inside the MTI Center.