November 25, 2009

RedStorm roll past depleted Wilberforce

Wilberforce, Oh. --- The University of Rio Grande RedStorm women's basketball team started fast and finished strong in defeating a depleted Wilberforce on the road on Tuesday evening by a score of 84-56. 

Rio Grande (5-2) came out smoking in building a 15-2 lead. Wilberforce would cut the deficit to seven at 22-15, but would get no closer than that. Rio Grande would later go on a 16-2 run in the first half and took a 43-24 advantage to halftime.

Junior forward Leah Kendro (Strongsville, OH) led the first half surge with 18 of her 23 points in the first 20 minutes of play. She was 8-for-8 from the field in the first half. Kendro pulled down six rebounds. 

The RedStorm did a tremendous job of sharing the basketball in the second half as every player on the roster scored. 

Wilberforce (1-5) suited up only six players and just did not have enough to compete with the deeper Rio team. Dai-Tiara Brown led all scorers in the game with 25 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Brown scored 21 in the second half and most of those after the game was already decided. Former Rio Grande player Leilani Rhynehardt added nine points and 10 rebounds to the Wilberforce cause.

Rio would build the lead to as high 36 points (72-36) in the second half. 

After Kendro's 23 points, junior center Ashley Saunders (Amanda, OH) was next on the scoring chart with nine points. Saunders led the RedStorm on the glass with 12 rebounds.

Rio gained a season sweep of Wilberforce, picking up two wins, two weeks apart. Rio beat Wilberforce 95-71, November 10 at the Newt Oliver Arena.   

Rio Grande assistant coach Kristen Roberson said that the Rio team did a great job focusing on the task at hand. "We had a couple of distractions, they didn't have all their players, playing at Wilberforce is always a hard place to play," Roberson said. "But we told our girls that we need to concentrate on what we need to get done."

"We have Findlay coming up this weekend, we have Thanksgiving break," Roberson added. "So we ask them to focus on us getting better each possession at a time and we came out with a "W"."

Rio will travel to NCAA Division II University of Findlay on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off. Findlay is coached by former Rio Grande standout and assistant coach Kate Snyder Cummings.