Tigers hold off Rio rally, pull away for easy win

Rio Grande Sports Information
     KINGSPORT, Tenn. - It's easy to see why No. 21-ranked Georgetown College is "AOK" with its "AJ" coming off the bench.
     Junior guard AJ Stevenson scored 22 of her season-high 24 points in the second half to pace the Tigers in a 106-83 victory over the University of Rio Grande, Saturday night, as part of the 2023 version of "The Show" at the MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center.
     Georgetown ran its record to 10-0 with the win.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 7 in the latest NAIA coaches' Top 25 poll, dropped to 7-2 with its second straight setback to an unbeaten ranked team from the Mid-South Conference.
     The RedStorm started strong and led 20-12 after a jumper by senior Aleea Crites (Parkersburg, WV) with 5:38 left in the opening quarter, but Georgetown closed the period on a 16-4 run to grab a 28-24 advantage of its own.
     It was a lead the Tigers would never relinquish.
     The cushion grew to as many as 18 points late in the half and stood at 15 points, 56-41, at the intermission, although Rio Grande managed to make things interesting in the third stanza.
     The RedStorm chipped away at the deficit and twice pulled to within nine, 75-66 after a conventional three-point play by junior Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) with 2:05 left in the period and 78-69 following a three-pointer by senior Reagan Willingham (Ashville, OH) with 1:31 remaining in the quarter.
     But that's as close as head coach David Smalley's team would get.
     Georgetown responded with an 18-4 run which bridged the final 90 seconds of the third period and the first 5:28 of the final stanza, taking their largest lead of the night, 96-73, after a layup by Jalynn Landversicht with 4:32 left in the game.
     Stevenson scored 11 points during the run and had 14 of her 22 points after the break in the fourth quarter. She finished the game 9-for-12 from the field overall and was 4-for-6 from three-point range, while also recording a team-high three steals.
     Stevenson also had the final bucket of the game to equal the 23-point cushion established earlier in the period.
     Erin Toller also scored a season-high 24 points for Georgetown, going 7-for-10 from the floor, 4-for-5 from distance and 6-for-6 at the charity stripe.
     Landversicht was one of three other Tigers who finished in double figures, contributing a career-high 19 points and a team-best eight rebounds to the winning effort. Teionni McDaniel and Trinity Klock netted 13 and 10 points, respectively.
     McDaniel also had a team-best five assists and three steals for GC, which shot 61 percent overall (36-for-59) and 60 percent from three-point range (9-for-15).
     Rio Grande had a quartet of players finish in double figures.
     Darnell and junior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) had 16 points each, while Willingham tossed in 13 and senior Jocelyn Abraham (Exchange, WV) added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
     Junior Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) had a season-high seven assists and six rebounds.
     The RedStorm shot 46.6 percent overall (46.6%), but committed 20 turnovers that led directly to 26 Georgetown points.
     The game was marred by a constant parade of whistles from the three-man officiating crew, who called 61 combined fouls (32 on the Tigers and 29 on Rio) which, in turn, produced 65 combined free throw attempts and a finish just minutes shy of midnight.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday when it resumes River States Conference play against Point Park University.
     Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.