Late offensive swoon dooms RedStorm men

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Just one week removed from one of its shakiest defensive performances of the year, the University of Rio Grande men's basketball team - for the most part - played well enough to win against rival Shawnee State University.
     But the RedStorm's offense - particularly late - left a lot to be desired and, in the end, the struggle proved too much to overcome.
     Rio managed just two points over the final 6:21 of the contest, allowing the Bears to pull away for a 62-50 victory in their River States Conference showdown at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Shawnee State, which entered the game tied with Point Park University atop the RSC's East Division, improved to 16-6 overall and 10-2 in league play with the win.
     The RedStorm slipped to 10-12 overall and 5-7 in the RSC as a result of the loss.
     Head coach Ryan Arrowood's club trailed by eight points at halftime and by as many as nine points with just over 13 minutes let to play, but sprung to life with a 10-0 run which produced a 43-42 lead after a layup by sophomore Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) with 10:15 left to play.
     The advantage did not last long, though.
     Shawnee State grabbed the lead back on its ensuing possession thanks to a jumper by Chaze Harris - a bucket which kickstarted a 7-0 run - and never trailed again.
     Rio Grande didn't go away quietly and twice closed the deficit to just three points, at 49-46 following a conventional three-point play by senior Taylor Mack (Akron, OH) with 7:58 remaining and at 51-48 after a driving layup by junior Khamani Smith (Fort Wayne, IN) with 6:21 left.
     Unfortunately, it was as close as the RedStorm would get the rest of the way and Smith's basket provided his team's final points - until the waning seconds after the final outcome had since been determined.
     Rio Grande went 0-for-8 from the floor, in addition to committing a turnover, before a steal and layup by junior Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) with four seconds remaining set the final score.
     The RedStorm were 10-for-18 from the floor in the second half prior to their late-game dry spell and finished the game just 19-for-55 overall (34.5%) and 3-for-12 (25.0%) from three-point range.
     Robertson and Mack led Rio, which was also outrebounded, 34-26, with 11 points each. Robertson had a team-high three assists, Mack pulled down a team-best seven rebounds and both shared team-high honors with two steals.
     Despite struggling from three-point range (4-for-12, 33.3%) and the foul line (8-for-14, 57.1%), Shawnee State shot just over 54 percent overall (25-for-46).
     Harris finished with a game-high 21 points and four steals, to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
     Tyreke Johnson added 17 points to the winning effort and tied teammate AJ Belton for game-high honors with eight rebounds.
     Keith Germain also hit double figures for the Bears, tossing in 11 points.
     Rio Grande is slated to return to action on Tuesday night when it travels to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face the team in which Shawnee State shares the East Division lead - Point Park University.
     Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.