Skeens, Darnell led No. 20 Rio past No. 14 Lions

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - As a result of injuries, Bryan College may have missed two of its standouts in Friday night's meeting with the University of Rio Grande.
     The RedStorm simply didn't care and neither were they feeling apologetic.
     Ella Skeens and Kaylee Darnell had big nights offensively, while two of their teammates also had double-digit scoring outings in Rio's 96-71 win over the Lions in Friday night's opening round play in the women's division of the 40th Annual Bevo Francis Classic at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 20 in the NAIA preseason coaches' poll, pushed its record to 4-0 with the victory.
     Bryan, which was ranked 14th in the same preseason poll, dropped to 1-2 with a second straight loss.
     The Lions, like Rio a national tournament participant last season, were playing without the services of senior guards Gracee Dishman (19.5 ppg) and Kaitlynn Hennessee (9.5 ppg) and led just once the entire night, 5-4, a little less than two minutes in.
     Still, the game was tied at the close of the opening period before the RedStorm used a 22-8 second quarter cushion to open up a 14-point lead, 45-31, at the intermission.
     Bryan twice closed the gap to 10 points in the third quarter, including 66-56 at the close of the period, but again Rio pulled away by scoring the first 12 points of the final stanza to take a 22-point cushion.
     The Lions got no closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
     Skeens, a senior from Chillicothe, Ohio, led Rio Grande with a season-high 23 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
     Darnell, a sophomore from Wheelersburg, Ohio, had a season-high 22 points of her own, while juniors Aleea Crites (Parkersburg, WV) and Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) finished with 10 points each in the win.
     Junior Lavender Ward (Charleston, WV) also had a strong all-around night for the RedStorm, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds and a game-best six assists.
     Rio Grande finished 35-of-75 from the field (46.7%), while going 24-for-32 at the free throw line (75.0%) and enjoying a whopping 55-31 edge in rebounding.
     The RedStorm also had just three of their 13 turnovers after halftime, helping to further fuel the pull-away effort.
     Bryan, which had 19 turnovers of its own, shot 40.8 percent overall (29-for-71), but hit just seven of its 33 attempts from three-point range (21.2%) and - as a result of the constant long-range barrage - only reached the free throw line seven times in the contest.
     Kadee Ferrell had 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in a losing cause for the Lions, while Maci Pitner also netted 16 points off the bench.
     Destiny Kassner added 15 points and nine rebounds for BC, while Samantha Russell had 15 points and a trio of blocked shots.
     Both teams conclude play in the Classic on Saturday.
     Bryan will meet Midway University in the 11 a.m. opener, while Rio Grande tangles with Cumberland (Tenn.) University at 3 p.m.
     Cumberland outlasted Midway, 99-98 in three overtimes, in Friday afternoon's opening game.
     Rio Grande's Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 - former women's basketball standouts Leah Kendro, Brianna Thomas and Sarah Bonar and long-time men's basketball coach Earl Thomas - will be introduced following the conclusion of the game along with all other returning Hall of Fame members.
     The formal induction of this year's class will take place on Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the annual Hall of Fame banquet.