GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – Senior Danny Duffey (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) was named Most Valuable Player after posting 15 points and six assists and junior Avery Close (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) was tagged to the all-tournament team for the second consecutive year as Gettysburg College claimed its own tip-off event for the first time in four seasons with a 78-58 victory over SUNY Geneseo inside Bream Gym on Saturday.
 
Top Performers - Gettysburg
- Danny Duffey '20 – 15 Points, 6 Assists, 3 Rebounds, 2 Steals, MVP
- Avery Close '21 – 13 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Blocks, 3 Assists, All-Tournament Team
- Alex Leder '21 (Bethesda, Md./Bullis) – 12 points, 4 Assists, 3 Steals
- Nick Lord '20 (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) – 14 Points, 6 Rebounds
 
Top Performers – Geneseo
- Aaron Davis – 17 Points, All-Tournament
- Michael Gannon – 15 Points, 7 Rebounds
- Terrance Nichols – 5 Points, All-Tournament
 
How It Happened…

• First Half
  • Gettysburg controlled the action on both sides of the floor in the first half. The Bullets allowed only two field goals in the first 13 minutes. Meanwhile, the offense set a furious pace, at one point running of 17 consecutive points to jump in front 24-5 midway through the period.
  • The hosts led by 26 (37-11) following back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore Jack Rooney (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) with 4:08 left.
• Second Half
  • After shooting 65.4 percent (17-of-26) in the first 20 minutes, Gettysburg cooled off in the second half, but only slightly. The lead dipped to 12 at 53-41 on a pair of free throws by Gannon, but a quick 10-0 run over the next three minutes pushed the advantage back over 20 points. Duffey posted a steal and lay-up during the run, while Lord added a deep three-pointer and a putback to make it 63-41 with 11:42 remaining. The two seniors combined to score 10-straight points late in the game before a fastbreak layup by Leder pushed it to a comfortable 25-point margin (77-52) with 4:07 on the clock.

 
By the Numbers

• Gettysburg posted its highest field-goal percentage in nearly two years by hitting 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) attempts from the floor. The Bullets also hit 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) of their tries from three-point land. Geneseo finished just 19-of-61 (31.1 percent) from the field and 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from deep.
• For the second consecutive game, the Orange and Blue posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio with 21 helpers to 17 turnovers. Over the two games, Gettysburg posted 40 assists on 62 field goals.
• Gettysburg won its tip-off tournament for the first time since 2015. That year the Bullets beat Pitt-Bradford (73-69) and Rutgers-Newark (71-64). The 20-point victory over Geneseo marked Gettysburg's biggest win in the tournament since a 21-point decision over Keuka in 2012. Overall, the Bullets claimed the tourney crown for the 12th time.
• Duffey finished the tournament with 21 points and 12 assists. With the senior guard on the floor, Gettysburg out-scored its opponents by a total of 43 points.
• Close was tagged to the all-tournament team for the second consecutive season. The junior forward finished the weekend with 27 points and hit 12-of-15 (80 percent) shots from the field.
• The last time Gettysburg started 2-0 was in 2008-09. That year, the Bullets also beat Geneseo in the tip-off championship game and went on to claim the Centennial Conference title and appear in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
• Wilson handed Southern Virginia its 22nd-straight defeat 77-64 in the consolation game. Adrian Thomas paced the Phoenix with 24 points and nine rebounds on the way to being named to the all-tournament team. Sam Armstrong was named to the all-tournament squad after posting 28 points for Southern Virginia.

 
Where the Series Stands
Gettysburg improved to 2-0 against SUNY Geneseo. Both of those meetings have taken place in the finals of the Gettysburg Tip-off Tournament.
 
Next Up
Gettysburg hosts Penn State Berks in a non-conference affair this Wednesday at 7 p.m.