Rio men extract fire from Dragons

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande scored the game's first seven points and never looked back, cruising to a 98-67 win over Virginia University of Lynchburg, Tuesday afternoon, in non-conference men's basketball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The RedStorm improved to 4-1 with a fourth consecutive victory.
     The Dragons, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), dropped to 0-5 with the loss.
     Rio Grande opened up a 13-point advantage just under nine minutes into the contest, but VU-L responded with a 9-0 run - culminated by a Chaundre Bratcher layup - to draw within 25-21 with 8:26 remaining in the first half.
     The RedStorm proceeded to reel off 15 of the next 17 points, though, and took a 40-23 lead after a bucket by Jaelin Johnson with 3:47 left before the intermission.
     Rio's lead reached as many 19 points late in the half before settling at a 17-point cushion, 49-32, by the break.
     VU-Lynchburg made one more minor surge and closed the gap to 51-40 after a three-pointer by Terrance Johnson with 16:44 left to play, but the visitors got no closer the rest of the way.
     The deficit stood at 15 points, 62-47, after a jumper by Lynchburg's Elijah Johnson with 12-1/2 minutes left, but the RedStorm blew things out of control with a 19-0 run over the next five-plus minutes and opened an 81-47 lead after a jumper by Eythan House with 7:16 remaining.
     Rio's biggest lead of the day came a little more than a minute later when a three-pointer by Bransyn Copas made it 86-49.
     Trey Robertson finished with 19 points to pace five RedStorm players in double figures. Senior Eric Butler (Orlando, FL) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, while Johnson and Jaylin Fox also had 12 points each.
     Milan Square completed the quintet with 10 points and Keylane Lasisi snared a game-high 12 rebounds for Rio, which went 38-for-80 overall (47.5%), 15-for-40 from three-point range (37.5%) and 7-for-8 at the foul line (87.5%).
     The RedStorm also enjoyed a lopsided 58-24 rebounding edge.
     Le'nijel Robinson led VU-Lynchburg with a game-high 28 points, while Terrance Johnson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and pair of steals and four blocked shots.
     The Dragons, who dressed just six players for the contest, shot 40 percent overall (26-for-65), 43.5 percent from distance (10-for-23) and were 5-for-7 at the foul line (71.4%).
     Rio Grande returns to action on Nov. 22 when it hosts Carolina University in the first round of the Bevo Francis Invitational. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.