Crites equals career-high as Rio women top Pioneers

Rio Grande Sports Information
     PITTSBURGH, Pa. - On a night when its two leading scorers average-wise went a combined 2-for-14 from the floor and scored just seven points, the University of Rio Grande women's basketball team relied on its deep roster to pick up the slack.
     Senior forward Aleea Crites equaled a career-high with 21 points and three others finished in double figures as the RedStorm built a commanding fourth quarter lead before holding on for an 86-79 triumph over Point Park University, Tuesday night, in River States Conference play at the CCAC-Allegheny Gymnasium.
     Head coach David Smalley's club, ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll, improved to 20-4 overall and 13-0 against RSC foes with a ninth consecutive victory.
     Point Park slipped to 16-6 overall and 9-4 in conference play with the loss.
     The setback also snapped a 14-game winning streak at home, which dates back to the final two games of the 2022-23 season.
     Rio Grande got the job done without the offensive prowess of junior Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) and senior Reagan Willingham (Ashville, OH).
     Darnell, the team's leading scorer at just under 19 points per game, got into first half foul trouble and was limited to just four points on 1-for-5 shooting.
     Willingham, who averaged just over 16 points per outing entering the night, hit just one of her nine field goal tries and had three points.
     Crites, a senior from Parkersburg, W.Va., helped overcome the scoring woes of Rio's backcourt duo by going 10-for-19 from the floor and tying the career-high mark of 21 points set in a 99-89 win against Midway University on Jan. 13, 2022.
     Crites also had two steals.
     Junior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH), senior Lavender Ward (Charleston, WV) and junior Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) joined Crites in double figures.
     Woods scored 14 points, Ward netted 12 and Williams had 10 points in the winning effort. In total, all 11 players who saw action for the RedStorm scored.
     Darnell did finish with a team-best seven rebounds, while Williams had five assists and the duo of Willingham and sophomore Marlee Grinstead (Albany, OH) joined Crites with two steals.
     Rio Grande shot just under 42 precent from the floor overall (33-for-79) and was 18-for-23 at the foul line (78.3%).
     The RedStorm twice turned a one-point deficit at the close of the opening quarter into a 10-point second quarter lead before settling on a 41-35 advantage at the intermission.
     The host Pioneers hung close and eventually came all the way back, tying the game at 57-all on a jumper with 1:02 remaining in third period.
     Rio Grande responded with a 14-0 run, though, which consumed the final 62 seconds of the third quarter and nearly all of the first three minutes in the final stanza.
     The lead eventually reached as much as 16 points on three occasions, including 83-67 after a pair of free throws by Ward with 50.0 seconds left, but Point Park reeled off 10 of the next 11 points to get within six, 84-78, after a three-pointer by Alexis Giles with 9.0 seconds showing on the clock.
     Ward officially put the Pioneers' rally to bed by drilling two more free throws with 7.9 seconds left.
     Gillian Piccolino led Point Park - and all scorers - with 23 points, while Ari Bleda had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots and Giles contributed 14 points and three assists.
     Gabriella Legister also recorded a double-double for the Pioneers, finishing with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She also blocked two shots of her own.
     PPU shot better from three-point range (10-for-26, 38.5%) than it did overall (23-for-62, 37.1%), while also going 23-for-34 at the foul line (67.6%) and committing 23 turnovers.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Saturday when it entertains Ohio Christian University at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.