RedStorm women crush IU Columbus

Rio Grande Sports Information
     COLUMBUS, Ind. - David Smalley wasn't particularly fond of his team's start to Friday night's meeting with Indiana University Columbus.
     A layup by the Crimson Pride's Abby Fleetwood with 6:19 left in the opening quarter had the hosts trailing just 15-10 and precipitated a timeout from the veteran Rio Grande head coach.
     Safe to say that the resident reverend's sermon was taken to heart by his parishioners.
     Rio Grande finished the stanza with 37 points and a 20-point lead en route to a 121-66 dismantling of its host in River States Conference women's basketball play at Circle K Fieldhouse at Nexus Park.
     The game was moved up from its original Saturday afternoon slot to avoid a blast of winter weather, which was forecast to cover much of the country on Saturday into Sunday.
     The No. 8-ranked RedStorm won for a 10th straight time, improving to 19-1 overall and 8-0 in league play.
     The 121 points scored represented a new single-game high for the season and were the most in a game for the program since a 138-87 spanking of Alice Lloyd College on Jan. 12, 2025.
     Rio's tone-setting start to the first stanza was the product of a 14-for-19 shooting performance (73.7%), which also included a 6-for-9 showing from beyond the three-point arc.
     The trio of seniors Marina Garcia Perez (Leon, Spain) and Marlee Grinstead (Albany, OH) and sophomore Payton Johnson (Peebles, OH) scored all but nine of the 37 first quarter points.
     The threesome also went a combined 11-for-11 from the floor, including four three-pointers, in addition to a combined five rebounds, six assists and four steals.
     The RedStorm advantage grew to 25 points by halftime and to 30 points after three periods before going super-sideways by outscoring IUC 34-9 in the final quarter.
     Rio's 55-point margin of victory represented its largest lead of the night.
     The RedStorm shot 56 percent overall (47-for-84) and tied a season-high - set in Tuesday night's win over Indiana University East - with 11 three-pointers.
     Rio also turned 24 IUC turnovers into a staggering 42-6 edge in points off turnovers.
     Grinstead set a new career-high in scoring for the third time in the last four outings. She finished with 30 points to go along with six steals and five assists.
     Johnson finished with 18 points and six assists, while Garcia Perez was a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor and finished with 22 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and four steals.
     Sophomore Josie Graves (Barboursville, WV) also reached double figures in the victory, adding 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
     Ten of the 11 players in uniform for the RedStorm scored at least three points.
     IU Columbus, which slipped to 4-16 overall and 2-6 in the RSC as a result of the loss, got 20 points and seven assists from Amaya Collins.
     Fleetwood tallied 18 points and three steals and Lily Campbell netted 10 points for the Crimson Pride, while Emma Beaver had a team-high six rebounds.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action at Midway University on Tuesday night.
     Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Marshall Gymnasium in Midway, Ky.