Rio women take down Phoenix

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Ella Skeens and Kaylee Darnell fueled Friday night's winning effort for the University of Rio Grande women's basketball team.
     The duo was at it again for head coach David Smalley's RedStorm on Saturday afternoon against previously-unbeaten Cumberland (Tenn.) University.
     The backcourt combo made up half of Rio's double-digit scoring quartet and combined for 38 points in the RedStorm's 85-74 triumph over the Phoenix in the final round of the 40th Annual Bevo Francis Classic at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 20 in the preseason NAIA coaches' Top 25 poll, pushed its record to 5-0 with the victory.
     Cumberland, a former regular foe of the RedStorm's when Rio was a member of the Mid-South Conference, dropped to 3-1 as a result of the loss.
     The Phoenix were outscored in each of the first three quarters and trailed by as many as 20 points after a three-pointer by senior Reagan Willingham (Ashville, OH) with 4:43 remaining gave the hosts a 78-58 advantage.
     Cumberland did manage to make things a bit more respectable by scoring 16 of the game's final 23 points after Smalley substitued liberally down the stretch.
     Skeens, a senior from Chillicothe, Ohio, connected on nine of her 15 shots and finished with a game-high 21 points.
     Darnell, a sophomore from Wheelersburg, Ohio, followed up Friday's season-high 22-point effort against 14th-ranked Bryan (Tenn.) College with 17 more against the Phoenix.
     She also finished with a game-high four assists and four steals.
     Juniors Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) netted 14 points and Aleea Crites (Parkersburg, WV) contributed 10 points and eight rebounds in the win, while sophomore Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) tied Darnell with four assists in addition to a game-best five steals.
     Rio Grande shot just over 54 percent overall (34-for-62), but got the win despite 20 turnovers and a 40-36 rebounding deficit.
     Keara Sexton led Cumberland with 13 points and two steals, while Lindsey Freeman tallied 12 points, six rebounds and two steals in a losing cause.
     Kennedy Powell also had six rebounds and two steals for the Phoenix, while Lucy Chilcutt had three assists and Kayla Gordon had two steals.
     Cumberland shot 39 percent overall (26-for-66), but went just 1-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc and committed 20 turnovers of its own.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
     Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Ariel Arena.