PITTSBURGH – Chatham Men's Basketball (11-3, 8-1 PAC) used a 32-12 run to close out the first half en route to a 69-53 victory over the Geneva Golden Tornadoes (6-8, 4-5).
 
Lovenson Xavier and Diaun Pinkett were Chatham's top scorers, netting 18 points apiece. Xavier shot 4-6 from three-point range, also grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. Pinkett shot 6-12 from the field and added 2 steals and 5 boards. Blaine Gartley had a game-high 3 assists for the Cougars along with 9 points and 6 rebounds. Simon Boyer contributed with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Luca Robinson was Chatham's leading rebounder with 8.
 
Geneva started the game quickly with an 8-2 run. A layup followed by a three-point shot from Gartley gave Chatham its first lead of the game. The Golden Tornadoes would score to give themselves a 10-9 advantage before the Cougars erased their deficit for good. Four points from Boyer capped a 19-6 Chatham run to give them an insurmountable lead.
 
Xavier made a layup and three-point basket early in the second half to give the Cougars a 41-22 advantage. Chatham would go up by as many as 26 with just under 10 minutes to play. A 12-0 Geneva run cut their deficit to 12 with three minutes left in the game, but a Pinkett three-point basket sealed the Cougar victory.
 
Mark Rachic led the Golden Tornadoes with 28 points and 2 assists on 12-20 shooting. Ryan Rachic was Geneva's top rebounder, pulling down 7.
 
The Cougars hit all 10 of their shots from the charity stripe. They held the Golden Tornadoes to just 1-14 shooting from beyond the arc.
 
Chatham will have a road test on Wednesday in Latrobe for their next matchup. Tip-off at Saint Vincent will be at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 15.