Warriors hold off RedStorm men

Rio Grande Sports Information
     ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - The University of Rio Grande erased a 10-point second half deficit, but couldn't finish off the comeback as host Rochester Christian University regained its lead and held on for an 86-83 win over the RedStorm in the opening round of the Faith Works Classic, Friday night, at Garth Pleasant Arena.
     Rio Grande slipped to 1-2 with the loss - its second straight setback of three points or less.
     The Warriors picked up their fourth win in five outings.
     RCU led 48-43 at halftime and extended its cushion to 10 points, 68-58, following a layup by Bakir Djedovic with 12:39 left to play, but the RedStorm methodically kept chipping away and eventually drew even at 74-all after a pair of free throws by sophomore Bransyn Copas (Seaman, OH) with 5:45 remaining.
     The Warriors regained the lead just 20 seconds later on a layup by Tymias Williams and held on the rest of the way.
     Rio Grande did slice the deficit to 82-81 on a three-pointer by senior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) with 1:30 left, but was never able to forge another tie or to get the lead.
     Linden Holder hit one of two free throw tries for RCU with six seconds left to set what proved to be the final score.
     Rio senior Delon McCloud (Grand Rapids, MI) missed a would-be game-tying three-pointer from the right wing as time expired.
     Holden had 18 points to fuel the winning effort, while Jamil Mashhour had 17 points and eight rebounds.
     Williams added 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Warriors, who shot 51.8 percent overall (29-for-56), and James Fisher had 12 points and two steals.
     The Warriors maintained their advantage at the free throw line, going 21-for-32, while Rio was just 8-for-11. RCU outscored the RedStorm from the charity stripe, 12-3, in the second half.
     Rio Grande went 33-for-74 from the floor overall (44.6%), including 9-for-24 from distance (37.5%), and was outrebounded, 42-30.
     McCloud led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the RedStorm with 25 points, while junior James Wright (Detroit, MI) scored 15 points off the bench.
     Senior Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) had 12 points and eight assists in the loss, while senior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI) had 10 points and four steals and Johnson snared a team-best seven rebounds.
     Rio Grande wraps up play in the two-day Classic on Saturday when it faces Cleary (Mich.) University in a 3 p.m. tipoff.