WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson men's basketball team saw its six-game winning streak was snapped in a 79-76 loss to visiting Geneva College Saturday. 

The loss drops W&J to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Geneva improves to 5-5 overall and 3-1 in the league.

W&J had an all around well balanced offensive effort in the loss. Nick Gearhart (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon) led the way with 18 points and six rebounds. Kyran Mitchell(Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the setback. Michael Bigley(Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) put up 15 points for the Red & Black. J.R. Mazza (Bridgeport, W.Va./University) and Isaiah Langston (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) finished with nine points apiece.

Geneva's Matt Veynovich opened up the game for the Golden Tornadoes by draining a three pointer just 20 seconds into the first half. Geneva held a very tight lead until a Langston layup by Langston gave W&J its first lead of the afternoon, a 32-31 advantage, with 8:01 remaining in the first half. Geneva countered with a 10-5 run to regain the lead at 41-37. However, back-to-back baskets by Mitchell and Bigley evened the score at 41-41 going into halftime. 

Bigley scored off of a fast break to open the second half scoring and give W&J a brief lead. Geneva registered the next 12 points to open up a double-digit lead over the Presidents at 53-43 when Lyle Tipton connected on a three-point basket with 17:01 to play. Geneva led the rest of the way as W&J cut the deficit to two points on multiple occasions. 

Gearhart drained this third triple of the second half to trim the deficit to two (76-74) at the 1:45 mark. However, Trevor Tipton had the answer on the other end, as the freshman hit the trey just before the shot clock expired. 

A running jumper by Bigley made it a one-possession game once again, as the sophomore converted the field goal to make it 79-76 with 1:07 to play. Geneva was able to salt away much of the final minute on the offensive end. Despite not scoring, an offensive rebound by Isaac Massie at the end of the shot clock gave the GTs a chance to run more time off. W&J was able to get the ball back late with one chance to tie the score. A deep three by Gearhart hit the front of the rim just before the buzzer and Geneva held on for the three-point win. 

W&J held a 48-28 advantage in points in the paint. However, the GT's made more three-pointers (12-6) and free throws (13-8) than the Presidents. 

Geneva was led by the PAC's leading scorer, Lyle Tipton, who recorded the game-high of 26 points. 

After playing three games this week, W&J is scheduled to return to action at Waynesburg on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Tip off is slated for a 7:30 p.m.