Rio pulls away in second half, routs KCU

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - After seeing his team's double-digit second half lead sliced to five points with just over 10-1/2 minutes left to play, University of Rio Grande head coach Ryan Arrowood angrily signaled for a timeout.
     The message he delivered during the break in the action was, unquestionably, received loud and clear.
     The 23rd-ranked RedStorm proceeded to overwhelm visiting Kentucky Christian University, outscoring the Knights, 36-11, the rest of the way en route to an 87-57 win, Wednesday night, in non-conference men's basketball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, which was facing KCU for just the ninth time ever and for the first time in 10 years, erased the aftertaste of a disappointing loss at home to Montreat (N.C.) College last Friday and pushed its overall mark to 10-2.
     Kentucky Christian, which will join Rio in the River States Conference beginning next year, slipped to 1-14 with a seventh straight loss.
     The Knights twice led by three points in the game's first four minutes and remained within striking distance into the early portion of the second stanza, trailing just 40-33 after Lemar Northington II drilled a three-point goal with 15:45 left to play.
     Rio Grande responded with the next five points to take their largest lead of the night to that point, 45-33, after a three-pointer by junior Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) with 14:49 remaining and still led by 11 points, 51-40, following a bucket by senior Eric Butler (Orlando, FL) a little more than three minutes later.
     But Arrowood had seen enough after consecutive trifectas by KCU's Kaleb Ramer and Jalen King-Joiner drew the Knights within 51-46 with 10:40 showing on the clock.
     And from that point on, the contest became as lopsided as most thought it might be from the outset.
     KCU connected on just three of its 13 field goal attempts and committed eight turnovers the rest of the night, while Rio Grande nailed 16 of its final 24 shots - including four three-pointers - to produce its final 30-point margin of victory.
     The RedStorm finished 36-for-70 overall (51.4%), while also enjoying a whopping 49-27 advantage on the glass.
     Redshirt junior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) led the winning effort with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Robertson had 14 points, six assists and four steals in his return to the lineup after a two-game absence due to a foot injury.
     Rio also got 13 points and four steals from junior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI), in addition to 12 points from senior Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) and an 11-point, two-block outing from Butler.
     Northington II led Kentucky Christian with 16 points, while D'Angelo Stoxstill had 10 points and five rebounds.
     Jayden Loydd and Rheyce DeBoard had four assists each for the Knights, who shot 33 percent overall (20-for-60) and committed 17 turnovers which led directly to 29 points for the RedStorm.
     Rio Grande will return to action on Monday, Dec. 30, when it travels to Mount Vernon Nazarene. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.