RedStorm men finish strong, rout WVU-Tech

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - On Wednesday afternoon outside the Newt Oliver Arena, crews continued the cleanup effort from a weekend winter storm that blanketed the area in nearly a foot of snow.
     But inside the toasty confines of the facility that the University of Rio Grande basketball teams call home, the RedStorm was busy unleashing a second half avalanche of its own to bury West Virginia University-Tech.
     Head coach Ryan Arrowood's squad scored 19 consecutive points to erase a two-point deficit and kickstart what blossomed into a game-ending 41-13 run and an eventual 80-54 rout of the Golden Bears in River States Conference men's basketball action delayed from the previous night by the inclement weather.
     Rio Grande, which was ranked No. 23 in the most recent NAIA coaches' Top 25 poll, improved to 12-3 overall and 3-0 in league play with the victory.
     WVU-Tech dropped to 10-4 overall and 1-2 in the RSC with the loss.
     The Golden Bears, who were playing without the services of their leading scorer, sophomore guard Braden Chapman (20.8 ppg), who suffered a broken hand in a loss at Alice Lloyd College last Saturday, appeared no worse for the wear early on and used a 9-0 run to transform an 11-8 deficit into a 17-11 after a bucket by Adam Seams with 11:27 left in the first half.
     Rio Grande rallied to take a 31-27 lead at halftime, but found itself down again, 41-39, after a jumper in the lane by Tech's Thomas Hailey with 13:59 remaining in the game.
     From that point on, though, it was all RedStorm all the time.
     By the time the Golden Bears scored again just under 5-1/2 minutes later, Rio Grande had reeled off 19 straight point for a 17-point cushion.
     Hailey hit one of two free throw attempts with 8:07 left to close the gap to 14 points, 58-44, but Tech got no closer the rest of the way.
     Rio Grande's largest lead of the day was 29 points, 80-51, after a bucket by graduate senior Milan Square (Youngstown, OH) with 22 seconds remaining in the contest.
     Square finished with a season- and Rio career-high 22 points, 17 of which came in the second half. All but two of his second half markers came inside the final 4-1/2 minutes.
     Four other members of the RedStorm joined Square in double figures.
     Redshirt junior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) scored 13 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds and five steals, while senior Eric Butler (Orlando, FL) and junior Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) had 11 points each. Robertson also had a game-high seven assists.
     Junior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI) added 10 points and pair of blocked shots to the winning effort.
     The RedStorm shot 54 percent overall in the second half and finished at an even 50 percent (33-for-66) for the game, while also enjoying a 37-29 advantage in rebounding.
     WVU-Tech shot just 33 percent after halftime and finished the game at 40.4 percent (21-for-52). The Golden Bears also hurt their own cause with 19 turnovers that led directly to 32 Rio Grande points.
     Hailey led a trio of double-digit scorers for Tech with 15 points, while Darrin Martin had 14 and Cameron Danser netted 11. Cole Chapman contributed six assists and Liam Craven had six rebounds in the loss.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Saturday when Alice Lloyd visits for another RSC matchup. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.