Rio men dance past Wolves, extend win streak

Rio Grande Sports Information
     SYLVANIA, Ohio - So exactly how well is the University of Rio Grande men's basketball team playing right now?
     If you'll pardon the pun, just over a week away from Christmas Day, not even 10 lords a leaping - or at least the eight players who suited up for Lourdes University on Saturday afternoon - could derail the RedStorm's recent train of success.
     Shiloah Blevins scored a game-high 22 points to pace five players in double figures and head coach Ryan Arrowood's club led from start to finish in an 80-63 victory over the Gray Wolves in non-conference action at the Russell Ebeid Recreation Center.
     Rio Grande improved to 10-3 with its ninth straight win and its first triumph in three all-time meetings against Lourdes.
     The Gray Wolves dropped to 9-5 with the loss, just the second home setback of the season for head coach - and former Ohio State University standout - Dennis Hopson's squad.
     A three-pointer by freshman Kaden Warner (Cincinnati, OH) just 13 seconds into the contest gave Rio a lead it would never relinquish and the RedStorm led by as many as 14 points late in the first half before settling on a nine-point, 36-27, advantage at the intermission.
     The cushion climbed to as many as 17 points, 48-31, after Blevins - a senior from South Webster, Ohio - canned a three-point goal with 14:07 left in the contest.
Lourdes rallied, though, and cut the deficit down eight points on three separate occasions over the next eight minutes, the last of which came at 58-50 following a conventional three-point play by Little Anderson with 6:19 remaining.
     However, Rio methodically regained its 17-point advantage with an 18-9 spurt over the next four minutes, culminating with a driving layup by junior Miki Tadic (Hilversum, The Netherlands) with 2:10 left to play which made it 76-59.
     The RedStorm enjoyed their largest advantage of the day - 19 points - in the game's closing moments after a trifecta by graduate senior Mike Cody (Cookeville, TN) made it 80-61 with 23.3 seconds left.
     Rio's win didn't come without a price, though.
     The RedStorm started the game without the services of freshman Trent Hundley (Mount Orab, OH), who twisted an ankle in practice on Thursday and was held out of action.
In addition to Hundley's absence, junior Taylor Mack (Akron, OH) suffered a first half leg injury and played only four minutes, while sophomore Exauce Manissa (Point Noire, The Congo) played just eight minutes after leaving the game early in the second half following a collision in the lane with Lourdes' Joey Holifield.
     Blevins and Cody more than picked up the slack - particularly in the second half - caused by their teammates' absence.
     Blevins scored 15 of his points over the final 20 minutes, finishing 8-for-11 overall, 3-for-4 from three-point range and 3-for-3 from the foul line. He also tied for team-high honors with three assists and two steals.
     Cody equaled his career-high with 19 points, all but seven of which came after the intermission.
     Sophomore Khamani Smith (Fort Wayne, IN), who got a starting nod with Hundley sidelined, scored a season-high 12 points and tied a career-best mark with a game-high nine rebounds.
     Tadic and Warner also reached double figures, tossing in 11 points apiece in the winning effort. Tadic also had three assists and two steals, while Warner handed out three assists of his own.
     Rio Grande shot 51.6 percent overall (29-for-56), including 11-for-23 from beyond the three-point arc (47.8%), and was 11-for-13 at the foul line (84.6%).
     The RedStorm also enjoyed a whopping 40-26 edge in rebounding to offset a season-high 17 turnovers.
     Holifield led the Gray Wolves with 20 points, three assists and three steals, while Anderson added 19 to surpass the 1,000-point mark for his career.
     Clif Snow led Lourdes with five rebounds and Sterling Hopkins also had three steals.
     The Wolves shot 41.7 percent overall (25-for-60), but went just 2-for-15 from three-point range (13.3%).
     Rio Grande will take on another Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference team next Thursday when it hosts the University of Northwestern Ohio.
     Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.