January 10, 2010

RedStorm lose at top ranked Mountain State

Beckley, Wv. --- The University of Rio Grande RedStorm men's basketball team had the unenviable task of trying to end a three-game losing streak against NAIA No. 1 Mountain State at the Armory in Beckley on Saturday afternoon. After hanging tough for the first 20 minutes, Rio Grande could not withstand the MSU onslaught in the second half and fell by a score of 122-85.

Rio Grande (5-11) played well early jumping out to a 6-2 lead. Mountain State (18-0) gained control of the game at 10-6 but had some difficulty in putting the RedStorm away.

The Cougars surged ahead 28-20 only to see Rio Grande go on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 30-27. That would be as close as the RedStorm would get for the rest of the game. 

Mountain State would get the lead to as high as 16 points (54-38) in the first 20 minutes before taking a 57-43 lead to the locker room.

The Cougars put it in overdrive at the start of the second half and really flexed their muscle. It was a run that Rio Grande could not withstand. 

Junior guard Doug Campbell (Salisbury, NC) led the RedStorm with 18 points on the strength of 6-of-10 shooting from behind the three-point line. Sophomore center Bud Teer (Cleveland, OH) returned to his double-double form with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard P.J. Rase (Wheelersburg, OH) chipped in 14 points and dished out seven assists while sophomore point man Brad Cubbie (Dayton, OH) and sophomore forward Shaun Gunnell (Columbus, OH) tossed in 10 points each.

Mountain State placed four players in double figures led by Winston Robinson with 34 points. Barry Wellington added 22 points and dished out seven assists. Brian Ormon scored a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards and Marcus Hunter chipped in 13 points.

Both teams shot the ball well from the field as Rio connected on 29-of-64 (45.3 percent) attempts, including 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from long range. The RedStorm also shot 83.3 percent (15-of-18) from the free throw line. Mountain State countered with 58.2 percent (46-of-79) shooting from the field, 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from three-point land and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the charity stripe. 

Turnovers were a big factor in the game as Rio Grande committed 22 miscues to only five for the Cougars. 

Rio held its own on the glass as Mountain State held an advantage of only two (37-35).

Rio Grande will head back to the friendly confines of the Newt Oliver Arena for the first ever Mid-South Conference game on Thursday (January 14). The men's game will tip-off at approximately 8 p.m. following the women's game. Stretch Internet will have play-by-play coverage at 7:45 p.m.

The game will also be televised by Wazoo Sports. Bob Evans is the game sponsor.