Mighty Oaks topple Rio in battle of RSC unbeatens

Rio Grande Sports Information
     OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - University of Rio Grande head coach David Smalley knew all about Oakland City University's deep roster heading into their River States Conference women's basketball showdown.
     That depth was exactly what the host Mighty Oaks used to deal the RedStorm their first loss in league play.
     Emilee Hope scored 16 of her team-high 23 points in the second half, while Tabby Klem netted 16 of her season-high 20 points overall the final two quarters to fuel a 105-90 triumph over Rio, Saturday afternoon, at the Johnson Center.
     Five players in total had double-digit scoring performances for Oakland City, which ran its overall record to 16-3 and its conference mark to 11-0 with a sixth straight win.
     The RedStorm, ranked No. 11 in the latest NAIA coaches' Top 25 poll, had a five-game winning streak snapped and fell to 18-3 overall and 10-1 in the RSC.
     The loss also means that, should both teams advance to meet again in next month's RSC Tournament championship, the game would be played at Oakland City.
     The Mighty Oaks trailed 34-26 after a bucket by Rio senior Ella Skeens (Chillicothe, OH) with 5:23 left in the second quarter, but closed the half on 19-7 run to take a 45-41 lead at the intermission.
     The RedStorm pulled to within three, 46-43, inside the opening minute of the third quarter on a basket by sophomore Harlei Antritt (Newark, OH), but got no closer the rest of the way as Hope and Klem led OCU's pull-away effort.
     Hope, the reigning RSC Player of the Week, scored 11 of her points in the third quarter as the Oaks extended their cushion to 13 points by the close of the period.
     Klem was the straw that stirred OCU's drink in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of her points in the final period as the advantage grew to as many as 19 points inside the final minute.
     Rio Grande had sliced the deficit to nine, 93-84, after a pair of free throws by junior Jocelyn Abraham (Exchange, WV) with 2:07 left, but Klem went 4-for-4 at the free throw line over the next 38 seconds and Hope buried a three-pointer with 1:07 remaining to give the Oaks a 100-86 lead and, essentially, settle the issue once and for all.
     Taylor Dillard (17 pts.), Marissa Austin (15 pts.) and Erin Whitehead (11 pts.) completed the quintet of double-digit scorers for OCU, which went 18-for-27 from the floor in the second half (66.7%) and 36-for-60 for the game (60.0%).
     Rio Grande, on the other hand, shot just 14-for-43 over the middle two stanzas (32.6%) and finished the game at 38.1 percent (32-for-84).
     Skeens led the RedStorm with a game-high 25 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) added 17 points and a team-high four assists and two steals of her own.
     Junior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH), who fell ill after Thursday's win at Brescia and who missed Friday's preactice session, rebounded to net 13 points off the bench, while sophomore Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) also finished with 13 points.
     Dillard added seven rebounds and six assists for the Mighty Oaks, while Davinique Campbell also had seven rebounds to go along with five assists and a trio of blocked shots.
     Hope and Whitehead also blocked two shots each in the winning effort.
     The three-man officiating crew whistled 53 personal fouls between the two teams, resulting in 67 combined free throw attempts - 30 for Rio and 37 for OCU.
     Rio Grande will try to bounce back from the loss when it hosts Asbury University in the final non-conference tilt of the season on Tuesday night at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.