RedStorm women overwhelm KCU

Rio Grande Sports Information
     GRAYSON, Ky. - With his team struggling offensively and trailing by three points just over four minutes in, University of Rio Grande women's basketball head coach David Smalley felt the need to call a timeout and gather his team around for a specialized sermon.
     Safe to say, the message from the veteran bench boss was delivered loud and clear.
     The No. 8-ranked RedStorm had their way from that point on and cruised past Kentucky Christian University, 115-67, Saturday afternoon in River States Conference women's basketball action at the Damron Hall of Champions.
     Rio Grande improved to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in league play with a fourth consecutive win.
     KCU dropped to 4-9 overall and 0-2 against conference foes with the loss.
     The Knights used an 11-4 run to grab an 11-8 lead after a layup by Bell Sparks with 5:59 left in the opening period, prompting Smalley to call his game-altering timeout.
     Rio Grande emerged from the break by outscoring its hosts, 18-4, over the remainder of the quarter for an 11-point cushion at the close of the opening stanza.
     The advantage grew to 24 points by halftime, 51-27, and to 44 points, 88-44, heading to the final period.
     The RedStorm twice led by as many as 51 points in the final quarter before settling on the 48-point final margin of victory.
     Rio finished with seven double-digit scorers and was led by junior center Sophia Kline (Sugar Grove, OH), who tallied 16 points, 15 rebounds, seven steals and four blocked shots.
     Freshmen Allie Ellyson (Glenville, WV) and Kate Ball (Kenova, WV) netted 15 points each, while senior Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) and sophomore Payton Johnson (Peebles, OH) had 11 points each and sophomore Josie Graves (Barboursville, WV) tossed in 10 points to go along with nine rebounds.
     Garcia Perez and Ellyson finished with six and five assists, respectively.
     The RedStorm finished 39-for-91 from the floor (42.9%), while going 30-for-36 at the foul line (83.3%) and outrebounding the Knights, 59-39.
     Rio also was the beneficiary of 32 KCU turnovers, which led directly to 49 points.
     The Knights shot just 37 percent overall (25-for-67) and connected on just four of 19 attempts from distance (21.1%).
     Madilyn Meade led KCU with 12 points off the bench, while Aubrey Daulton and Kaylee Gibson scored 10 points each.
     Nea Yli-Kankahila had a team-high six rebounds, while Sarah Sorrells had five assists and four steals.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Tuesday night with a big RSC matchup against rival Shawnee State University.
     Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.