Second half rally lifts Rio men past KCU

Rio Grande Sports Information
     GRAYSON, Ky. - Watching an eight-point first half lead transform into a six-point second half deficit failed to make the University of Rio Grande flinch.
     Head coach Ryan Arrowood's squad came from behind and pulled away down the stretch for an 89-80 triumph over Kentucky Christian University, Saturday afternoon, in River States Conference men's basketball play at the Damron Hall of Champions.
     Rio Grande won for the second straight time, evening its overall record at 7-7 while remaining unbeaten in league play.
     The host Knights slipped to 3-9 overall and 0-2 in the RSC as a result of the loss.
     A back-and-forth affair for most of the first half turned into a 39-31 lead for the RedStorm after a three-pointer by senior Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) with just over three minutes left before the intermission, but KCU closed the gap to just three points at the break before moving back in front and taking its largest lead of the day, 52-46, following a trifecta by Markell Hood with 16:21 left to play.
     Rio briefly regained the lead, 58-56, when senior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) connected from distance with 12:56 remaining, but another three-pointer by Hood with 7:40 left sent the Knights back in front, 68-67.
     A conventional three-point play by Robertson just 19 seconds later put the RedStorm back in front and it proved to be a lead that the visitors would not relinquish.
KCU was down just 72-71 after two Matthew Ruegge free throws with 5:43 remaining, but Rio put the win on ice with an 11-0 run over the next 4-1/2 minutes. Senior Delon McCloud (Grand Rapids, MI) netted the first seven points in the spurt.
     The 12-point cushion represented the RedStorm's largest lead of the day.
     McCloud led the winning effort with 25 points, while Johnson had 18 points and seven rebounds and junior James Wright (Detroit, MI) came off the bench to tally 17 points and a team-best 13 rebounds.
     Senior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI) had 15 points, five steals and five assists for Rio Grande, while Robertson had six assists.
     The RedStorm shot 47 percent from the floor (32-for-68) and just under 89 percent from the free throw line (16-for-18), while committing only nine turnovers.
     KCU shot a tad less than 48 percent from the field (30-for-63), including 10-for-20 (50.0%) from three-point range, but was only 10-for-16 at the foul line (62.5%) and committed 15 turnovers.
     Hood poured in a game-best 29 points in a losing cause, while D'Angelo Stoxstill had 21 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
     The Knights also got 12 points and five assists from Jayden Loydd.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday night with a key RSC East Division matchup with rival Shawnee State University.
     Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.