Bears outlast Rio men in 2OTs

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - If there's any truth to equating making mistakes with shooting one's self in the foot, then it's safe to say that the University of Rio Grande emptied the chamber on more than occasion in Saturday's showdown with rival Shawnee State University.
     The RedStorm fell victim to a myriad of uncharacteristic miscues and the Bears scored the game's final six points to rally for an 80-76 double overtime victory in River States Conference men's basketball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, which entered the game in sole possession of first place in the RSC East Division, slipped to 18-7 overall and 9-4 in league play with the loss.
     Indiana University East and Alice Lloyd College, both of whom had their games postponed by inclement weather on Tuesday night, can tie the RedStorm for the division lead when they play their next game on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
     Shawnee State, which lost to Rio Grande at home on Jan. 4 by 21 points, improved to 13-12 overall and 8-5 in the RSC with the win - its second double overtime triumph over Rio in as many seasons.
     In a see-saw affair which featured 18 ties and 14 lead changes, the Bears were the beneficiary of 17 Rio Grande turnovers - nearly double the RedStorm's per game average - which led directly to 26 points.
     Rio Grande also cost itself a pair of points - one late in regulation and the other early in the first overtime period - thanks to a pair of lane violations on free throw attempts.
     The first came with 1:29 left in game on a free throw by senior Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) which would've given the RedStorm a 56-51 lead.
     Rather, Shawnee State got a bucket from Tre Beard with 1:10 remaining and a pair of free throws by Beard with 16.8 seconds remaining to send the contest to overtime.
     The second lane violation came with 3:24 left in the first overtime session - again with Robertson at the line - and prevented Rio from tying the game at 57-all.
     The RedStorm did forge a 66-66 deadlock when redshirt junior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) drained a three-point goal with 17 seconds left and Shawnee's Cory Gardner missed a would-be game-winning jumper as time expired to force a second extra period.
     A conventional three-point play by Beard with 3:04 left pushed the Bears in front, 74-70, but Rio Grande countered with trifects by junior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI) with 2:42 remaining and by Robertson with 1:53 showing on the clock to grab a 76-74 lead.
     Unfortunately, they would prove to be the final markers of the day for the home team.
     Rio Grande went 0-for-5 from the floor and committed a pair of turnovers in its final six possessions.
     Meanwhile, a layup by SSU's Donovan Lovelace with 1:11 remaining tied the game, a pair of free throws by Lovelace with 43.2 seconds left put the Bears in front and two more shots from the charity stripe by Bears with 18.8 second remaining sealed the win.
     Beard finished with a career-high 38 points to fuel the winning effort, going 10-for-22 overall, 5-for-12 from three-point range and 13-for-14 at the foul line. He attempted six more free throws by himself than Rio Grande did as a team.
     Gardner added 14 points, four assists and two steals for SSU, while Lovelace had 11 points and nine rebounds.
     Shawnee shot just under 43 percent overall (27-for-63) and just under 83 percent at the foul line (19-for-23).
     Rio Grande was 31-for-71 overall (43.7%) and 7-for-8 at the foul line (87.5%).
     Robertson led the RedStorm with 23 points and five assists, while seniors Eric Butler (Orlando, FL) and Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) had 14 points each and Fox tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds.
     Butler also had five assists, despite fouling out late in regulation.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Saturday against West Virginia University-Tech at the Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley, W.Va.
     Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.