Rio women dominate from outset, rout Tech

Rio Grande Sports Information
     BECKLEY, W.Va. - The University of Rio Grande scored the game's first seven points and never looked back, rolling to a 107-65 rout of West Virginia University-Tech, Tuesday night, in River States Conference women's basketball action at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 8 in the latest NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll, won for a seventh straight time and improved to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in league play.
     WVU-Tech slipped to 10-4 overall and 2-3 in the RSC.
     The Golden Bears played their guests even in the opening quarter after Rio's quick start, trailing 28-21 entering the second period.
     But the RedStorm were dominant from that point on, extending their lead to 19 points by halftime and 24 points through three quarters before outscoring the home team, 24-6, over the games final 10 minutes.
     Rio Grande, which consistently beat the Golden Bears back in transition for easy looks at the basket, shot a season-high 60 percent overall (42-for-70) and and a season-best 60 percent from distance (9-for-15). The nine trifectas equaled a single-game high.
     The RedStorm also finished 14-for-17 at the foul line (82.4%), while enjoying a 41-24 edge in rebounding and committing just 10 turnovers.
     WVU-Tech shot 36.4 percent for the game (20-for-55), including just 32.5 percent (14-for-43) over the final three periods.
     The Golden Bears also had 22 turnovers, which led to a 35-9 advantage for Rio in points off of turnovers. The RedStorm also outscored their hosts, 62-16, in the paint.
     All 12 players in uniform saw action for Rio, with all but two getting into the scoring column. Five of the 10 scorers reached double figures.
     Senior Marlee Grinstead (Albany, OH) led the way with 22 points to go along with five assists and a team-high three steals.
     Freshman Allie Ellyson (Glenville, WV) and sophomore Payton Johnson (Peebles, OH) had 17 points each, while sophomore Josie Graves (Barboursville, WV) had 15 points and 10 rebounds and junior Sophia Kline (Sugar Grove, OH) netted 12 points.
     Senior Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) added a game-high 11 assists in the winning effort.
     Cadence Stewart was the only double-digit scorer for Tech, finishing with 21 points. She also handed out a team-best three assists.
     Alaira Evans, Kyra Brown and Jazzlyn Nixon all had five rebounds for the Golden Bears.
     Rio Grande will return to action on Saturday when it hosts Brescia University for a 1 p.m. tipoff at the Newt Oliver Arena.