RedStorm men continue winning ways

Rio Grande Sports Information
     PIPPA PASSES, Ky. - Don't look now, but the University of Rio Grande men's basketball team compares favorably to a pat of butter these days.
     No, head coach Ryan Arrowood's squad isn't soft. Much to the contrary, in fact.
     Rather, they find themselves on a roll.
     Shiloah Blevins scored a game-high 25 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers and the RedStorm led from nearly start to finish in a 79-69 triumph over Alice Lloyd College, Tuesday night, in River States Conference play at the Perry Campus Center.
     Rio Grande improved to 9-3 overall and 5-0 in the RSC with an eighth straight victory - its longest such streak since recording eight straight wins between Nov. 18 and Dec. 13, 2008.
     The RedStorm also avenged a season-ending 82-80 triple overtime loss to the Eagles - in the same venue - in the quarterfinal round of last season's RSC Tournament.
     Alice Lloyd slipped to 6-6 overall and 2-2 in league play with the loss.
     The Eagles grabbed a 10-9 lead following a jumper by Bryce Slone just under six minutes into the contest, but Rio Grande answered with a go-ahead three-pointer by junior Miki Tadic (Hilversum, The Netherlands) on its ensuing possession and never trailed again.
     The RedStorm built a 16-point cushion before settling on an eight-point halftime advantage at 38-30.
     ALC closed to within six points, 40-34, after two free throws by Damon Tobler with 18:32 left to play, but got no closer the rest of the way.
     Rio quickly built the lead back to 14 points, 50-36, following free throws by Tadic with 16:34 remaining and enjoyed a cushion between 7-14 points for the remainder of the contest.
     Blevins, a senior from South Webster, Ohio was consistent from start to finish, scoring 10 points in the opening half and 15 after the intermission. He finished 7-for-11 overall, including 2-for-3 from three-point range, and connected on nine of 10 free throw attempts.
     Freshman Kaden Warner (Cincinnati, OH) and Tadic netted 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Warner, Tadic and graduate senior Mike Cody (Cookeville, TN) all had three steals each.
     Freshman Trent Hundley (Mount Orab, OH) led Rio with five assists and six rebounds.
     The RedStorm finished 23-for-59 overall (39.0%), including 15-for-34 from three-point range (44.1%), and was 18-for-19 at the free throw line (94.7%).
     Alice Lloyd shot 49.1 percent overall (27-for-55) and was 10-for-15 at the free throw line (66.7%), while also enjoying a 35-33 edge in rebounding.
     Will Philpot, who was honored in pre-game ceremonies for surpassing the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound mark for his career, led the Eagles with 18 points and nine rebounds. Tobler finished with 13 points and nine rebounds of his own.
     Two others also hit double figures for the home team.
     Koji Anderson had 12 points to go along with a game-high six assists and a team-high two steals, while Slone added 11 points.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it travels to Lourdes University for a non-conference tilt.
     Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Sylvania, Ohio.