Skeens hits milestone as Rio women extend win streak

Rio Grande Sports Information
     BAYAMON, P.R. - Ella Skeens is just 14 games into her second season with the University of Rio Grande women's basketball program, but she's certainly not allowed any grass to grow under her feet since her arrival on campus.
     The Chillicothe, Ohio senior poured in a game-high 33 points and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career in leading the RedStorm past Pontifical Catholic University, 98-85, Tuesday morning, in the final round of the Puerto Rico Christmas Classic at the Rueben Rodriguez Coliseum.
     Rio Grande, ranked No. 12 in the latest NAIA coaches' Top 25, ran its overall record to 13-1 with an eighth consecutive victory.
     The RedStorm's late return to their hotel on Monday night, coupled with the early morning start before beginning the long journey home, showed early on and - to some degree - continued throughout the day.
     Head coach David Smalley's club committed a season-high 33 turnovers - 16 in the opening half and 17 after the intermission - and trailed 8-2 out of the gate.
     Rio rebounded behind Skeens, who scored her team's first 13 points of the game, to take a 24-22 lead at the close of the opening stanza, but the Pioneers mounted their own bounce back and regained a 31-30 advantage after a bucket by Wilneiska Rivera with 4:15 remaining before halftime.
     The RedStorm went to work, though, and finished the first half on 16-2 run to open up a 13-point cushion at the break.
     Skeens, who entered the contest needing 17 points to reach her career milestone, got the job done by connecting on a three-pointer with 2:39 left before halftime. She finished with 19 points in the half.
     Rio stretched its lead to as many as 19 points in the third quarter, although Pontifical Catholic did close to within 10 points, 64-54, after a pair of free throws by Marie Joan De Jesus with 2:33 left in the period.
     That's as close as the Pioneers would get the rest of the way, though.
     The RedStorm went back up by 15 points heading into the final stanza and led by as many as 25 points, 84-59, following a conventional three-point play by Skeens with just over seven minutes remaining.
     Pontifical Catholic drew as close as 13 points twice in the final 95 seconds, but got no closer.
     Skeens finished 11-for-19 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from three-point range, and was 7-for-13 at the foul line. She also shared team-high honors in rebounding with juniors Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) and Jocelyn Abraham (Exchange, WV).
     Sophomore Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) netted 16 points in the win, while Woods and Abraham rounded out the double-digit scoring quartet with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
     Woods and freshman Natalie Kalaydjiev (Vienna, Austria) had two steals each and sophomore Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) handed out four assists.
     Rio Grande actually finished with one more made free throw than it had made field goals in a contest where the two teams were whistled for 57 combined fouls and finished with 79 combined free throw attempts.
     The RedStorm went 31-for-43 at the charity stripe (72.1%), while finishing 30-for-73 from the floor (41.1%). They also enjoyed a commanding 59-30 edge in rebounding.
     Keysha Santiago led Pontifical Catholic in a losing cause with 24 points and four steals, while Rivera tossed in 16 points and Lesiriam Pagan tallied 10 points, five assists and four steals of her own.
     De Jesus snared a team-best six rebounds for the Pioneers, who also had one more made foul shot than it did successful field goals, and Daimilly Calo also had four steals.
     PCU finished 26-for-68 from the field (38.2%) and was 27-for-36 at the free throw line (75.0%).
     Rio Grande won't return to the court until Dec. 30 when it travels to No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan University.
     Tip time is set for 3:30 p.m.