Rio women topple Tech, claim RSC regular season title

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - While it may not have been the most picturesque of the University of Rio Grande's 23 wins this season, it was the victory that appears to have clinched a regular season conference championship and a return to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
     The RedStorm got off to quick start, survived a mid-game lull and then pulled away again down the stretch for an 87-68 Senior Day victory over West Virginia University-Tech, Saturday afternoon, at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, which was ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll, won for the 12th straight time in improving to 23-4 overall and 16-0 in the River States Conference.
     It was also the 39th consecutive home conference win for head coach David Smalley's squad.
     While conference officials won't confirm until the conclusion of regular season play next weekend, preliminary figures using the league's point system to determine a regular season champion and seeding for the conference tournament show that West Division leader Oakland City cannot surpass the East Division-leading RedStorm - even with wins in each of its games next week against Indiana University Kokomo and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and a loss by Rio in its only outing next Saturday at rival Shawnee State University.
     Rio Grande would then earn a bid to the national tourney regardless of whether or not it wins the RSC Tournament as a result of having the best average in the point system and being the top seed in the league tourney.
     If Rio Grande were to also win the RSC Tournament, league bylaws stipulate that the tourney runner-up would snare the RSC's second bid to the national championship.
     Saturday's meeting with WVU-Tech (5-20, 2-13 RSC) appeared headed in the same direction of the first meeting between the two teams back in late November - a 49-point Rio win.
     The RedStorm jumped to an eight-point lead at the end of the opening quarter and extended the cushion to 18 points, 40-22, following a layup by senior Jocelyn Abraham (Exchange, WV) with 5:41 left in the first half.
     The Golden Bears roared to life, though, and scored nine straight points to close within 40-31, after Marquesia Heidt hit one of two free throw attempts with 2:25 remaining before the break.
     Rio Grande did push the lead back to 11 points, 44-33, by halftime, but Tech refused to go away quietly and trimmed the deficit to just eight, 57-49, at the close of the third quarter.
     It was still an eight-point RedStorm cushion after a layup by Tech's Nell Marx made it 59-51 with 9:25 remaining, but Rio Grande finally quelled the visitor's thoughts of an upset by scoring 12 consecutive points to extend the lead to 20 at 71-51 after a layup by junior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) with 6:06 left to play.
     The Golden Bears twice pulled to within 15 points from that point on, but got no closer.
     Senior Aleea Crites (Parkersburg, WV) equaled her season- and career-high with 21 points to lead Rio, while also pulling down a game-best 10 rebounds.
     Senior Reagan Willingham (Ashville, OH) added 16 points, including 10 in the RedStorm's quick first quarter start, while junior Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) had 14 and Abraham finished with 10.
     Junior Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) handed out four assists in the winning effort, while Darnell and Willingham had two steals each and Woods blocked a pair of shots.
     Rio Grande shot just under 49 percent overall (36-for-74) and enjoyed a 49-30 rebounding edge, but was just 2-for-12 from three-point range (16.7%) and 13-for-22 at the foul line (59.1%).
     Tech shot just under 42 percent altogether (26-for-62) and 33 percent from distance (5-for-15), while going 11-for-12 at the foul line (91.7%).
     Breeana Grigsby had a career-high 22 points in the loss for the Golden Bears, while Stacey Begay finished with 13 points and a team-high eight boards.
     Rio Grande's game at Shawnee State next Saturday is set for a 4 p.m. tipoff at Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth.