Rio Grande News
Mon, Jan 23, 2012 - [Women's Basketball]
Rio Grande Sports Information
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande's bid to turn rival Shawnee State's "Pink Out" promotion a shade of red ended up leaving the RedStorm feeling blue.
The host Bears spotted Rio Grande the game's first three points before reeling off 14 consecutive markers of their own en route to an 89-57 rout of the RedStorm, Saturday afternoon, in Mid-South Conference women's basketball action at Waller Gymnasium.
Shawnee State, ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA coaches poll, improved to 16-4 overall and 6-2 in league play with the win.
The victory was also the 606th in the career of Shawnee head coach Robin Hagen-Smith, the most of any active coach in NAIA Division I.
Catrice Mitchell led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Bears with 18 points, while Abby Ballman added 16 points for the Bears. Alex Pohl contributed 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to the winning effort, while Schera Sampson finished with 12 points.
Rio Grande (13-7, 4-4) got no closer than nine points after Shawnee's early 14-0 run and trailed 43-22 at halftime.
The RedStorm shot just 23.5 percent (8-for-34) in the opening half, while the Bears connected on 17 of their 34 attempts from the floor (50%) and enjoyed a 27-18 edge on the boards.
Things didn't get any better for Rio head coach David Smalley's club after the intermission.
Shawnee State never saw its lead dip below the 21-point halftime spread and the Bears led by as many as 34 points on three different occasions. Eleven of the 12 players who took the floor for SSU scored.
Nine of the 10 players who suited up for Rio Grande scored, but only one - junior guard Shardae Morrison-Fountain (Columbus, OH) - reached double figures. She finished with 13 points and earned Dick Hyland Player of the Game honors for the RedStorm.
Senior guard Kaylee Helton (Lucasville, OH), Rio's leading scorer for the season, was limited to just one field goal and eight points. Sophomore guard Kate Hammond (Greenfield, OH), the RedStorm's third-leading scorer, had just three points and left the game early in the second half with a hand injury.
Rio Grande finished just 20-for-66 from the field overall (30.3%) and 3-for-18 (16.7%) from the three-point range. The RedStorm were also outrebounded 49-33.
Freshman forward Tinesha Taylor (South Point, OH), junior forward Jayvonna Saddler (Cincinnati, OH) and freshman center Kasey Turley (Tuppers Plains, OH) all had five rebounds for Rio, while junior guard Iliana Gonzalez (Arecibo, P.R.) had four assists.
Shawnee State, which improved to 43-3 all-time against Rio, shot 52.5 percent from the field (32-for-61) for the game. Mitchell was named Player of the Game for the Bears.
Rio Grande, which has now lost two straight since winning a season-high three straight outings, will host Wilberforce on Wednesday, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande's bid to turn rival Shawnee State's "Pink Out" promotion a shade of red ended up leaving the RedStorm feeling blue.
The host Bears spotted Rio Grande the game's first three points before reeling off 14 consecutive markers of their own en route to an 89-57 rout of the RedStorm, Saturday afternoon, in Mid-South Conference women's basketball action at Waller Gymnasium.
Shawnee State, ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA coaches poll, improved to 16-4 overall and 6-2 in league play with the win.
The victory was also the 606th in the career of Shawnee head coach Robin Hagen-Smith, the most of any active coach in NAIA Division I.
Catrice Mitchell led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Bears with 18 points, while Abby Ballman added 16 points for the Bears. Alex Pohl contributed 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to the winning effort, while Schera Sampson finished with 12 points.
Rio Grande (13-7, 4-4) got no closer than nine points after Shawnee's early 14-0 run and trailed 43-22 at halftime.
The RedStorm shot just 23.5 percent (8-for-34) in the opening half, while the Bears connected on 17 of their 34 attempts from the floor (50%) and enjoyed a 27-18 edge on the boards.
Things didn't get any better for Rio head coach David Smalley's club after the intermission.
Shawnee State never saw its lead dip below the 21-point halftime spread and the Bears led by as many as 34 points on three different occasions. Eleven of the 12 players who took the floor for SSU scored.
Nine of the 10 players who suited up for Rio Grande scored, but only one - junior guard Shardae Morrison-Fountain (Columbus, OH) - reached double figures. She finished with 13 points and earned Dick Hyland Player of the Game honors for the RedStorm.
Senior guard Kaylee Helton (Lucasville, OH), Rio's leading scorer for the season, was limited to just one field goal and eight points. Sophomore guard Kate Hammond (Greenfield, OH), the RedStorm's third-leading scorer, had just three points and left the game early in the second half with a hand injury.
Rio Grande finished just 20-for-66 from the field overall (30.3%) and 3-for-18 (16.7%) from the three-point range. The RedStorm were also outrebounded 49-33.
Freshman forward Tinesha Taylor (South Point, OH), junior forward Jayvonna Saddler (Cincinnati, OH) and freshman center Kasey Turley (Tuppers Plains, OH) all had five rebounds for Rio, while junior guard Iliana Gonzalez (Arecibo, P.R.) had four assists.
Shawnee State, which improved to 43-3 all-time against Rio, shot 52.5 percent from the field (32-for-61) for the game. Mitchell was named Player of the Game for the Bears.
Rio Grande, which has now lost two straight since winning a season-high three straight outings, will host Wilberforce on Wednesday, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.
