RedStorm men survive momentum swings, Trailblazers

Rio Grande Sports Information
     CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio - It was a game that had more ups and downs than a day spent enjoying all the rides that King's Island has to offer.
     But when all was said and done, the University of Rio Grande somehow found a way to emerge victorious.
     Trey Robertson scored 22 of his team-high 26 points in the second half to lead a trio of double-digit scorers and Jay Moore proved big off the bench in the RedStorm's 85-81 win over the Ohio Christian University, Saturday afternoon, in River States Conference men's basketball action at The Maxwell Center.
     Rio Grande rebounded from a tough conference loss at home to Point Park University on Tuesday night, improving to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.
     Ohio Christian, which was playing its RSC opener, dropped to 3-7 overall with the loss.
     Rio Grande, which was already down two of its regulars in juniors Khamani Smith (Fort Wayne, IN) and Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) due to injury, also lost the services of sophomore Kaden Warner (Cincinnati, OH) to an apparent shoulder injury late in the first half. Warner was transported to a nearby hospital and did not return.
     Still, head coach Ryan Arrowood's team - which grabbed a 6-0 lead inside the game's opening minute - rallied to erase a 10-point deficit with 7:47 left before halftime and took a 38-37 lead into the intermission after senior Miki Tadic (Hilversum, The Netherlands) drained a three-pointer from the left corner with six seconds remaining in the half.
     The surge continued into the second stanza as Robertson spearheaded the effort. His three-pointer with 7:40 remaining in the game gave Rio its biggest lead of the contest at 15 points, 72-57.
     But the host Trailblazers refused to go away quietly and mounted a furious rally over the next 6-1/2 minutes and pulled as close as 81-79 after a three-pointer by Levi Seiler with 1:13 left to play.
     Ohio Christian then had a chance to take the lead after a RedStorm turnover, but Cale Rammel's three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining was off the mark and Rio Grande came away with the turnover.
     Moore, a sophomore from Beckley, W.Va. and a newcomer to the program after transferring from West Virginia University, proceeded to make it a two-possession game by nailing a pair of free throws with 16.9 seconds left and giving the RedStorm an 83-79 cushion.
     Robertson, a sophomore from Waverly, Ohio, rebounded a missed three-point attempt by Seiler on OCU's ensuing possession and essentially sealed the win by hitting two more free throws with seven seconds left and pushing the advantage to 85-79.
     Seiler tacked on a pair of free throws of his own with one second remaining to set the final score.
     Robertson was 7-for-9 from the floor overall, including 3-for-4 from distance, and was 5-for-5 at the free throw line in the second half. He also finished with a game-high seven assists, five of which came in the first half.
     Moore, who was making just his fourth appearance of the season, had all but one rebound in his career-best eight-point, six-rebound effort over the game's final 20 minutes.
     Robertson and Moore's second half showing backed strong performances early on by both Tadic and sophomore Trent Hundley (Mt. Orab, OH).
     Tadic was 6-for-10 from the floor, including a trio of trifectas, and finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds of his own.
     Hundley scored 13 of his career-high 21 points in the first half. He finished 6-for-7 from the floor, including 4-for-4 from three-point range, and 5-for-7 at the free throw line.
     As a team, Rio shot a sizzling 60 percent for the game (27-for-45), including a 12-for-21 effort from three-point land (57.1%).
     The RedStorm were also good at the foul line, nailing 19 of their 23 attempts (82.6%).
     Seiler was Ohio Christian's only double-digit scorer, finishing with a career-high 36 points. He was 10-for-22 overall, 5-for-10 from distance and 11-for-11 at the foul line.
     Seiler also led the Trailblazers in rebounds (7), assists (6) and was one of four players to record one steal.
     OCU was outrebounded, 32-27, but hit just under 47 percent from three-point range (14-for-30), was 15-for-17 at the foul line (88.2%) and had just two turnovers.
     Rio Grande will return to action next Saturday when it entertains the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) in a non-conference affair at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.