Rio men slip past Cavaliers in season opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     MONTREAT, N.C. - It might not have been particularly pretty, but it was a win that University of Rio Grande men's basketball head coach Ryan Arrowood welcomed with open arms.
     Miki Tadic's jumper with 1:29 remaining put the RedStorm in front to stay and free throws by Khamani Smith with one second remaining secured a 58-55 victory over Montreat College in the season opener for both teams, Saturday afternoon, in non-conference play at McAlister Gym.
     Tadic, a senior from Hilversum, The Netherlands, snapped a 54-all deadlock with his go-ahead jumper and Smith - a junior from Fort Wayne, Ind. - hit two free throws to extend the RedStorm's lead after Montreat's Michael Erbeck drew the Cavaliers to within 56-55 by connecting one of two free throw attempts with two seconds left.
     Montreat did get off a would-be, game-tying three-point attempt after Smith's insurance free throws, but Erbeck's shot from the right wing bounced off the rim as time expired.
     The wild finish capped off a hard-fought, yet often not-so-picturesque contest which saw both teams struggle to score over extended stretches - particularly in the second half.
     Rio Grande shot just 29.6 percent over the final 20 minutes (8-for-27), including a 2-for-13 showing from three-point range (15.4%).
     Montreat was even worse after the break, going 5-for-36 overall (13.9%) and misfiring on all nine of its three-point tries.
     The Cavaliers began the game by bolting to an 11-point lead, 18-7, after a three-pointer by Erbeck with 11:49 left in the first half, but the RedStorm methodically chipped away at the deficit and grabbed a 30-28 advantage on a trifecta by sophomore Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) with 3:59 remaining before halftime.
     Rio eventually extended its lead to 34-28 after a layup by sophomore Trent Hundley (Mt. Orab, OH) with 2:58 left, but the home team closed the half on a 9-2 run to grab a 37-36 advantage at the intermission.
     The RedStorm kept the game of swings going by outscoring the Cavs, 14-1, over the first 7:42 of the second half and opening up a 50-38 cushion following a jumper by Tadic with 12:18 left to play.
     Again, though, just when it seemed as if Rio Grande had finally begun the process of pulling away, the RedStorm managed just one point over the next 10 minutes and found themselves staring at a 54-51 shortfall after a layup by Montreat's Camron Sias with 2:16 remaining in the game.
     Hundley drilled a three-pointer on Rio's ensuing possession to tie the game, setting up Tadic's go-ahead bucket a little more than a half-minute later and the frantic finish which followed.
     Rio finished 21-for-53 from the floor overall (39.6%), while connecting on just eight of 27 three-point tries (29.6%) and eight of 15 free throw attempts (53.3%).
     Hundley finished with a game-high 20 points, while Robertson netted 13 of his own to go along with three assists and junior Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) yanked down a game-best 10 rebounds.
     Erbeck led Montreat with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Collin Mills added 13 points in a losing cause.
     The Cavaliers finished 20-for-73 overall (27.4%) and 7-for-26 from beyond the three-point arc (26.9%).
     Rio Grande returns to action when it opens the home portion of its schedule against Ohio University-Lancaster.
     Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.