Records fall as Rio women post 1,000th all-time win

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - As if becoming just the seventh program in NAIA history to reach the 1,000-win mark wasn't enough, the University of Rio Grande women's basketball team grabbed a handful of ink pens and went about rewriting the record book in the process.
     Head coach David Smalley's squad set new school records for points in a half and points in a game as the No. 8-ranked RedStorm dismantled Alice Lloyd College, 138-87, Sunday afternoon, in River States Conference action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande improved to 13-3 overall and 3-1 in league play with the victory, its 1,000th all-time triumph - a figure that ties Northwestern (Iowa) for sixth place on the NAIA's all-time wins list. Ironically, the Red Raiders reached the landmark figure with a win over the College of Saint Mary on Saturday afternoon.
     Alice Lloyd slipped to 6-8 overall and 1-3 against conference foes as a result of the loss.
     Rio's 79 points in the first half erased the previous school record of 76, which was set in a win over Ohio University-East on Nov. 29, 1997. The figure also represented the second-highest total in NAIA history, topped only by Olivet Nazarene's (Ill.) 91-point half against Lindenwood-Belleville on Nov. 5, 2013.
     The RedStorm's final tally of 138 points is tied for fourth-most in NAIA history, equaling a mark set by Saint Xavier (Ill.) against Purdue Calumet on Nov. 17, 2007. It also surpassed the previous school record of 131 points, which was established in a 131-67 rout of Ohio Christian University on Feb. 4, 2023.
     Rio had a shot at breaking the NAIA single-game record of 159 points, which was set by Oklahoma Baptist against Southwest Adventist (Texas) on Nov. 4, 1995, but scored just three points over the final 4:52 of the third quarter.
     Senior guard Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) also set a single-game school record with 22 assists, breaking the previous mark of 17 shared by Karen Powell in 1981 and Lee Ann Mullins in 1989. Her 22 assists were three off the NAIA record of 25, which belongs top Lakenya Knight of Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) against Selma (Ala.) on Jan. 20, 1996.
     Williams also had 11 points in the win with a perfect shooting day, going 4-for-4 overall, 1-for-1 from distance and 2-for-2 at the foul line.
     Rio Grande bolted to a 43-18 lead at the close of the opening quarter and enjoyed a whopping 79-37 advantage at the intermission.
     The cushion stood at 101-62 at the end of the third period and the 51-point margin of victory represented the RedStorm's biggest lead of the day.
     Rio Grande shot 74.4 percent from the floor (32-for-43) in the second and fourth quarter combined and finished the game at 62 percent overall (54-for-87). All 14 players in uniform saw action and all 14 scored.
     In addition to Williams, six other RedStorm players had double-digit scoring outings.
     Senior Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) and freshman Jasmine Jordan netted 22 points each in the win. Darnell scored all but two of her points in the first half, while Jordan also talled 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
     Senior Harlei Antritt set a new career-high with 19 points, while senior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH), junior Marlee Grinstead (Albany, OH) and freshman Ella Simpson (Morgantown, WV) all tallied 10 points. Simpson's total set a new career-high and Grinstead also blocked three shots.
     Alice Lloyd got 20 points from Jamie Cowan, while Katie Jo Moore, Kaison Ward and Kennedy Harville finished with 10 points each in a losing cause.
     Katie Marcum pulled down seven rebounds and Aziah Campbell handed out four assists for the Eagles.
     Rio Grande will next take to the floor on Wednesday night when it travels to Richmond, Indiana for a get together with Indiana University East. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.