Rio women open season with rout of Blue Devils

Rio Grande Sports Information
     SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - One veteran got her final season off to a big start, while a freshman newcomer did the same with her collegiate career as the University of Rio Grande women's basketball team rolled to a 104-78 rout of host Lawrence Tech University, Friday evening, in the opening round of the Blue Devils Classic at Don Ridler Field House.
     The game served as the season opener for both schools.
     Senior Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) and freshman Jasmine Jordan (Ashland, KY) led a quintet of double-digit scorers for the 15th-ranked RedStorm with 25 and 24 points, respectively.
     Darnell also had a team-best five assists, while Jordan pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and had four steals for Rio which - outside of a pair of ties inside the game's first 4-1/2 minutes - led from start to finish.
     Rio Grande stretched a 10-point cushion at the close of the opening quarter to 15 points, 52-37, by halftime and continued to play add on over each of the final two quarters.
     The RedStorm lead reached as many as 27 points in the third quarter and hit its apex of 28 points on three different occasions in the final period, the last of which came at 104-76 following a layup by senior Teyarra Johnson (Dayton, OH) with just under a minute left to play.
     Rio Grande shot 61.6 percent overall (45-for-73) and was 13-for-16 at the foul line (81.3%).
     The RedStorm also had just 11 turnovers and enjoyed a whopping 35-18 edge in rebounding.
     In addition to Darnell and Jordan, Rio's double-digit scoring club also included freshman Payton Johnson (Peebles, OH), who had 13 points; senior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH), who netted 12; and freshman Josie Graves (Barboursville, OH), who tossed in 10 points in her collegiate debut.
     Junior Marlee Grinstead (Albany, OH) added five steals in the winning effort.
     Maggie Long had 20 points to pace Lawrence Tech in the loss, while Gracie Bobo and Kate Jacobs added 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
     Bobo and Maddux Locke had four rebounds each for the Blue Devils, while Sierra Robinson had five assists and Jacobs collected a pair of steals.
     Lawrence Tech, which hurt its own cause with 18 turnovers, shot just over 48 percent overall (30-for-62), including a 10-for-29 showing (34.5%) from three-point range.
     Rio Grande wraps up its weekend at the Classic on Saturday when it squares off with Siena Heights University.
     Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.