RedStorm women survive scare from Midway

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Season statistics entering Tuesday night's River States Conference women's basketball opener between Midway University and the University of Rio Grande suggested that a fast-paced, high-scoring affair might be in the offing.
     But when all was said and done, the RedStorm considered themselves fortunate to survive a sloppy, rock fight-type of contest which saw both squads finish nearly 30 points under their respective per game averages.
     Head coach David Smalley's club watched the visiting Eagles misfire on a pair of potential game-winning shots as time expired for a 67-66 triumph at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, which was ranked No. 13 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, remained unbeaten in eight outings.
     Midway, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, dropped to 5-2 overall.
     The Eagles had their chance to win at the end after forcing Rio Grande's 26th turnover of the night and calling a timeout with 19.0 seconds left to play.
     Another timeout with 13.8 seconds remaining followed, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
     Midway's Jacie Chesser had the ball stripped away in the lane by Rio sophomore Josie Graves (Barboursville, WV) and, after retrieving the loose ball, failed to connect on a short jumper in the lane.
     The rebound of the miss came down to Midway's Trinity Johnson, who put up an off-balance follow over the outstretched arm of RedStorm junior Sophia Kline (Sugar Grove, OH) only to have her shot bounce off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
     The sequence culminated a nip-and-tuck affair from the outset.
     The two teams, both of whom were averaging in excess of 90 points per contest, played even in three of the four quarters.
     Midway led by as many as three points on three different occasions - twice in the first quarter and again late in the second period - while Rio Grande twice led by seven points in the third period.
     The Eagles shaved the deficit to one point, 50-49, entering the final stanza and, while the RedStorm never gave up their advantage over the final 10 minutes, Midway got to within one point five more times, including the game's final margin.
     Rio Grande did itself no favors in the attempt to pull away, shooting a season-low 39.7 percent overall (27-for-68) and an abysmal 38.1 percent at the free throw line (8-for-21).
     The 26 turnovers, which led directly to 24 Midway points, also represented a season-high for the RedStorm.
     Freshman Allie Ellyson (Glenville, WV) led Rio offensively with 13 points and four steals, while Kline had 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots and sophomore Payton Johnson (Peebles, OH) tossed in 10 points.
     Senior Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) narrowly missed a triple-double with seven points, a career-best 11 rebounds and a game-high 11 assists.
     Graves also had 11 rebounds for the RedStorm, who enjoyed a 55-40 advantage in the category.
     Midway had five players finish in double figures, although its leading scorer entering the night - freshman guard Alexys Moore (15.7 ppg) - was limited to just two points.
     Johnson led the Eagles with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five steals, while Chesser had 12 points and four blocked shots and Jermyra Christian tallied 10 points, eight assists and five steals of her own.
     A'Lyrica Hughes also had 10 points and four steals for Midway and Jenna Sparks netted 10 points off the bench in a losing cause.
     The Eagles shot just 38.5 percent themselves (30-for-78), including 2-for-12 from distance (16.7%), and had 15 turnovers.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Saturday when it hosts Carolina (N.C.) University in a non-conference contest.
     Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.