RedStorm women erase slow start, rout MVNU

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - More often than not, through the first dozen games of its 2023-24 season, the University of Rio Grande women's basketball team has made it bones by starting fast.
     But Friday night's non-conference tilt against Mount Vernon Nazarene University showed that the RedStorm also have the ability to survive a rare first quarter hiccup.
     Head coach David Smalley's trailed at the close of the opening period for just the second time this season, but stormed back over the final three stanzas to post a 94-67 rout of the visiting Cougars at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 14 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll, improved to 11-2 with the win and avenged one of its four losses during last season's run to the Round of 16 in the NAIA national tournament.
     MVNU, which had won three of its last four outings against Rio, suffered a fifth straight loss after beginning the season at 5-0.
     The Cougars enjoyed a 19-16 lead at the end of a sloppy first quarter which saw five ties, five lead changes and 17 combined turnovers - nine by MVNU and eight by the RedStorm.
     Mount Vernon Nazarene still maintained a 25-24 advantage after a bucket by Angela Roshak, who was coming off a career-best 29-point performance in a one-point loss at home to Ohio Christian University on Tuesday night, with 7:14 left in the first half, but a layup by Rio Grande senior Reagan Willingham (Ashville, OH) on the RedStorm's ensuing possession gave the home team a lead it would never relinquish.
     Rio finished the half with a 10-point cushion, 43-33, while extending its edge to 22 points by the close of the third period and to as many 30 points with just over a minute-and-a-half to play in the contest.
     The RedStorm managed to pull away over the final three quarters with huge advantages in two particular areas.
     A 45-28 edge in rebounding, including 20-3 on the offensive glass, led to a 25-0 tally in second chance points, while MVNU's game total of 27 turnovers led directly to 33 Rio points.
     The RedStorm had 17 turnovers of their own - only nine over the final three quarters - but the Cougars managed only 13 points off of the Rio miscues.
     Junior Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) led Rio Grande with a game-high 20 points, seven assists and five steals, while senior Aleea Crites (Parkersburg, WV) had a season-high 18 points to go along with eight rebounds and four steals of her own.
     Willingham and junior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Woods also had a game-high 11 rebounds, junior Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) had six assists and junior Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) had five assists and four steals.
     Mount Vernon Nazarene actually outshot the RedStorm, going 28-for-56 overall (50.0%), but was 4-for-20 from three-point range (20.0%) in addition to hurting its own cause with the rebounding deficit and high turnover rate.
     Madelyn Lawson led a trio of double-digit scorers for the Cougars with 18 points in addition to three blocked shots, while Peyton Davis had 17 points and three steals and Roshak finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and a trio of blocks.
     Emily Walker and Chelsea Huffman added a team-best four assists each and Grace Vermilya added three steals of her own in a losing cause for MVNU, which lost to Rio Grande for the 52nd time in 63 all-time meetings.
     Rio Grande will play its final game before the Christmas holiday on Tuesday when it hosts the University of Pikeville (Ky.) in a matinee affair.
     Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.