WINCHESTER, V.A. - The SUNY Geneseo men's basketball team opened up their 2024-25 campaign with a dominant 70-48 victory at Shenandoah on Friday night. The Knights led from start to finish in the contest to secure the season-opening win in Virginia.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Geneseo opened up the scoring with a 6-0 lead through the first few minutes, highlighted by a fast break dunk from Josh Garelle. The Knights defense continued to lock up the Hornets early in the game, leading 12-3 through 10 minutes of play.
• A layup from Colin Gentile with three minutes left in the half extended Geneseo's lead to 12 points, but Shenandoah was able to string together a run of their own and cut the lead to just six down the stretch. However, a steal from Drew Morrow followed by a last second layup by Garelle helped flip the momentum back in the Knights favor before half.
• The Knights quickly took control of the game in the second half, extending their lead to 18 points after just seven minutes of action. Later in the half, an 8-0 run by Geneseo helped push the game out of reach with a score of 60-39 and five minutes remaining. The Knights went to cruise to the 70-48 victory.

QUICK FACTS:

• The Knights defense held Shenandoah to just 27.1 percent shooting from the field, while on offense Geneseo posted a 49.1 field goal percentage.
• Garelle posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Sebastian Pacheco added a team-high 17 points and Robert Pericolosi chipped in 10 of his own. Pacheco nearly posted a triple-double, tallying nine boards and eight assists.
• The matchup between the two schools marked the first meeting in program history.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Geneseo will remain in Virginia and will take on Roanoke at 2 p.m. tomorrow.