Rio women pounce on Jaguars in Bevo opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Trying to outrun a jaguar is probably not the smartest thing an individual should attempt, but for the University of Rio Grande women's basketball team it was the perfect way to begin the home portion of their season schedule.
     The RedStorm grabbed an early first quarter lead and then pulled away for good with a decided second period surge, rolling to an 84-62 win over Governors State (Ill.) University, Friday evening, in the opening round of the 42nd Annual Bevo Francis Classic at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, which is ranked 20th in the latest NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll. pushed their season mark to 5-0.
     The Jaguars, who were among the teams receiving votes in the same poll, slipped to 5-2 with the loss.
     Rio Grande, which never trailed, enjoyed a 24-19 advantage at the close of the opening stanza, but it was the second quarter where head coach David Smalley's club lowered the boom.
     The RedStorm outscored their guests 22-6 during the period to open up a 21-point halftime cushion.
     Governor's State went just 3-for-13 (23.1%) from the floor and 0-for-6 at the foul line during the quarter, while also committing six turnovers.
     Rio Grande led by no less than 17 points at any stage of the second half and enjoyed its largest cushion of the game at 27 points, 80-53, following a layup by sophomore Josie Graves (Barboursville, WV) with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.
     Senior Marlee Grinstead (Albany, OH) led a balanced offensive attack for the RedStorm with a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a pair of blocked shots.
     Freshman Allie Ellyson (Glenville, WV) dropped in 16 points to go along with five assists, while Graves had 13 points and seven rebounds of her own and senior Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) handed out a game-best nine assists.
     Junior Sophia Kline (Sugar Grove, OH) also had two blocked shots.
     Cencere McDaniel scored a game-high 24 points in a losing cause for Governor's State, while Alayah Sprattling had 15 points to go along with three steals and Davina Smith finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss.
     Rio Grande will wrap up the Classic on Saturday when it squares off with No. 7-ranked Lewis-Clark State at 3 p.m.