Cavaliers upend No. 23 RedStorm

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Perhaps Montreat College didn't get the memo that the University of Rio Grande was ranked 23rd nationally, in addition to having a perfect record at home as part of a nine-game winning streak.
     Or maybe the Cavaliers were doing their best imitation of Jason Vorhees on Friday the 13th, cutting through the RedStorm like the teenagers looking to lose their innocence at Camp Crystal Lake.
     Either way, it was a night which favored the visitors from nearly start to finish.
     Montreat built a 17-point first half lead - which grew to as many as 24 points in the second half - before settling on an 82-65 win over Rio Grande, Friday night, in non-conference men's basketball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The Cavaliers improved to 9-4 with the victory, avenging a three-point loss at home to Rio last season in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
     The RedStorm dropped to 9-2 with the loss.
     Head coach Ryan Arrowood's squad found itself behind the 8-ball most of the night, leading just once after a three-pointer by redshirt junior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) made it 3-2 with 18:30 left in the first half.
     But a bucket by Jack Keller put the Cavaliers back in front just 27 seconds later and they maintained the lead the remainder of the night.
     Montreat shot just over 51 percent overall and hit eight of its nine three-pointers in the opening half, leading by as many as 17 points before settling on a 47-32 cushion at the intermission.
     The Cavaliers pushed their lead to as many as 24 points, 64-40, after a pair of Jarden Maze free throws with 13:48 left to play, although Rio Grande - again playing without its third-leading scorer in junior guard Trey Robertson (14.7 ppg), who remained sidelined with a foot injury - did show some life down the stretch to make things a bit interesting.
     The RedStorm methodically chipped away at the deficit and eventually closed the gap to just eight points, 73-65, after a bucket in the lane by senior Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) with 3:29 remaining.
     Unfortunately, it would prove to be the final points of the night for the home team.
     Rio Grande went 0-for-3 from the floor and had two turnovers over its final five possessions, while Montreat hit each of its next three shots - and a pair of free throws - over its next four possessions to close out the game on a 9-0 run and set the final 17-point final margin.
     Maze led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Cavaliers with 23 points, while Keller had 18, AJ Baskerville netted 12 points and RJ Manginello tossed in 10.
     Maze also had four assists and Baskerville had nine rebounds for Montreat, which finished 29-for-59 from the floor overall (49.2%) with a 39-35 edge in rebounding.
     Rio Grande, which suffered through its worst shooting performance since its opening two games of the season, hit on just 25 of 67 shots overall (37.3%) and five of its 22 shots from distance (22.7%).
     Johnson and senior Eric Butler (Orlando, FL) had 16 points each in the loss, while House finished with 13 and graduate senior Milan Square (Youngstown, OH) tallied 10 points.
     Butler and junior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI) shared team-high honors with seven rebounds, while Fox had three steals and junior Keylane Lasisi (Paris, France) was credited with three assists.
     Rio Grande returns to action with its final game before the Christmas break when Kentucky Christian University visits next Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff.