BEAVER FALLS, Pa.--Mount Union's men's basketball team improved to 2-1 on the season as the Purple Raiders beat Geneva College 79-67 Thursday evening at Metheny Fieldhouse.

Three Mount Union players finished with double-digit point totals as the Purple Raiders were led by freshman Collen Gurley (Akron/Hoban) who came off the bench and finished with 18 points. Senior Tommy Stenger (North Canton/Hoover) added 17 points and eight rebounds while junior Nathan Bower-Malone (Stow) chipped in with 16 points.

Geneva College (1-1) was led by Danny Torok who had 18 points.

The Golden Tornadoes sprang out on the Purple Raiders to start the first half with a quick 10-5 lead. After back-to-back three-point field goals put the Golden Tornadoes up by five with 11:24 remaining, the Purple Raiders slowly cut away at the Geneva advantage. Mount Union closed the half with a 15-6 run to take a 39-32 lead into halftime.

Mount Union went 15-of-34 (44.1%) from the field and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the free throw line while Geneva College went 12-of-32 (37.5%) and 3-of-4 (75%) from the charity stripe.

The Purple Raiders continued the momentum in the second half as a three-point field goal from Gurley extended the Mount Union margin to seven at the 14:28 mark. A layup from freshman Mario Caywood (Streetsboro/Benedictine) saw the Purple Raider point margin grow to 60-51 with 11:43 remaining in regulation. A slam dunk from Stenger sealed the win for Mount Union.

Mount Union shot 17-of-30 (56.7%) from the floor and 3-of-9 (33.3%) from beyond the three-point line in the second half. The Golden Tornadoes finished 13-of-25 (52%) and 2-5 (40%) from behind the arc.

The Purple Raiders play Friday evening November 16 facing Valley Forge at host site Geneva College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.