Grinstead leads Rio in rout of Trailblazers

Rio Grande Sports Information
     CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio - If Saturday afternoon's game was the first test for how the University of Rio Grande would survive the extended loss of junior forward Aleea Crites from its lineup, the RedStorm passed with flying colors.
     And one of head coach David Smalley's newest players was a big reason why.
     Freshman Marlee Grinstead scored 17 of her career-high 19 points in the second half as the RedStorm pulled away for a 97-69 rout of Ohio Christian University in the River States Conference opener for both teams at the Maxwell Center.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 16 in the latest NAIA coaches' Top 25 poll, rebounded from its loss at Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday night and improved its overall record to 6-1.
     OCU suffered a fifth straight loss, falling to 1-6 overall.
     Crites (Parkersburg, WV), who suffered a foot injury in the loss at MVNU, and junior forward Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) both were out of the lineup for the RedStorm. Woods missed the contest due to illness.
     Their absence - in addition to others dealing with a widespread flu bug - forced Smalley and his staff to experiment with different personnel combinations and, while leading for nearly all of the game, Rio Grande had trouble to putting away its host.
     The Trailblazers remained in striking distance late in the opening half, trailing by just nine, 37-28, after Rachel Bolyard hit one of two free throws with 26.9 seconds left before the intermission.
     The deficit stood at seven, 41-34, following a three-pointer by Ashley DeWeese with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter, but that's when the RedStorm went to work toward settling the issue once and for all.
     Rio scored 14 of the next 18 points to push its lead to 17 points and eventually extended its advantage to 22 points, 70-48, by the close of the period.
     Grinstead, a native of Albany, Ohio, had nine points in the period and added eight more in the final stanza, including back-to-back buckets, which produced the RedStorm's largest lead of the day, 85-56, with 4:52 left to play.
     Grinstead finished 7-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 at the free throw line. She also tied for team honors with two steals.
     Sophomore Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) added 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked shot to the winning effort, while senior Ella Skeens (Chillicothe, OH) had 15 points and seven rebounds.
     Sophomore Harlei Antritt (Newark, OH) finished with 10 rebounds and junior Lavender Ward (Charleston, WV) also had six assists for Rio, which shot 45.9 percent overall (34-for-74) and 80 percent at the foul line (24-for-30).
     The RedStorm also outrebounded the Trailblazers, 50-40.
     Ohio Christian, which shot just 33.8 percent overall (23-for-68), 20.7 percent from three-point range (6-for-29) and 68 percent from the charity stripe (17-for-25), also hurt its cause with 24 turnovers.
     Haley Cox led the Blazers with 24 points, while Bolyard had 13 and DeWeese finished with 11. Bolyard also had four assists.
     Emma Koons led OCU with eight rebounds, while also totaling two steals and a blocked shot.
     Rio Grande headed south immediately after the game and will play at Webber International University on Tuesday night.
     Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Babson Park, Fla.