BEAVER FALLS, PA - November 13, 2024 - Few teams in Division III were as dominant as the 2023-24 Geneva Golden Tornadoes, a PAC powerhouse that finished last season with a 24-4 record (18-2 PAC), PAC regular-season title, PAC Tournament title and 2024 NCAA Tournament berth.

Hiram delivered that same program a season-opening loss inside Metheny Fieldhouse.

The Terriers won their first game of the season against Geneva on Wednesday evening, outscoring their opposition by 11 points in the second half to earn a 74-63 win against a future conference rival.

Hiram's defense proved to be the difference, a unit that held the opposition to a 30.3% FG pct in the second half (10-33). Depth was also key, with six different student-athletes scoring at least seven points in the game, including seniors Trent Jakacki (16 points) and Ivan Yang (15 points).

After there were 219 combined points in Hiram's home opener against Pitt-Bradford this past Saturday, the Terriers played a different style of a game on Wednesday, slowing the game down and letting the halfcourt offense and stingy defense do the work.

Hiram and Geneva traded baskets throughout the first half, with both teams shooting above 50% and scoring exactly 36 points over the opening 20 minutes. The Golden Tornadoes held a 6-0 lead to start the contest, which proved to be the largest lead by either team for the entirety of the half.

The Terriers made a statement to start the second half, though, with Mitchell Wiechecki making a tip-in layup and Josh Martin finding an open lane for a layup, giving the road team a 40-36 lead with 19:01 remaining. Wiechecki finished the night with 11 points (5-7 shooting) and six rebounds in his first start of the young campaign.

Geneva later evened the score at 50-50 midway through the period, but Yang and Brock Makrancy combined for an 11-4 run to lift Hiram to a 61-54 lead with 7:07 remaining – its largest lead of the contest up to that point.

Then came Jakacki, who put the finishing touches on the late-game surge, scoring 7 points over the final six minutes of the game to seal a double-digit victory. Just like the season opener, Jakacki and Yang led Hiram in both points and the team's overall production in the critical points of the game.

Hiram will get seven days off before returning to the hardwood next Thursday for a home game against Pitt-Greensburg at 7 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium.