RedStorm Women Entertain Cumberlands

RIO GRANDE, Ohio – The University of Rio Grande women’s basketball team and head coach David Smalley will play host to their second-straight ranked Mid-South Conference opponent, as No. 21 University of the Cumberlands visits the village on Saturday afternoon at Newt oliver Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Rio Grande (14-8 overall, 3-7 MSC) did its best Jekyll and Hyde imitation on Thursday night, falling 78-73 at home to No. 6 Georgetown after blowing a 21-point halftime lead. Rio Grande finished the month of January with a 2-6 record after a perfect 5-0 during the month of December.

Although they shot a respectable 49 percent from the field for the game, the RedStorm shot 63 percent in the first half and just 34 percent in the second half. Conversely, Georgetown shot just 29 percent in the first half and then a blazing 69 percent in the second half.

The Tigers embarked on a 17-0 run during a crucial stretch of the second half and were able to hold Rio Grande scoreless for nearly six minutes at the end of the game.

Leading the way for Rio Grande was junior guard Brianna Thomas’ (Maplewood, NJ) 21-point, five-assist and four-steal effort,while sophomore forward Ciara Herring (Cleveland, OH) tied a career-high with 13 points and a team-leading five rebounds off the bench. Freshman guard Sharday Baines (East Cleveland, OH) and sophomore forward Sarah Bonar (Hartford, OH) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 points apiece.

Thomas continues to pace the RedStorm with 19.8 points and 5.4 assists per game, while freshman forward Brooke Marcum (Vinton, OH) is pulling down a team-high 8.6 rebounds per contest.

Cumberlands (14-6 overall, 8-2 MSC) defeated Shawnee State on the road on Thursday evening 67-63.

The Patriots were led by Brooke Forsythe’s 20-point, four-rebound, and three-steal effort, while Jackie Alexander chipped in with 13 points and four rebounds of her own.

Forsythe leads the Patriots on the season with 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, while Jill Herman is dishing out a team-leading 2.6 assists per game.

Cumberlands won the first meeting between the two teams, 104-89, on January 2 in Williamsburg, Ky.

Live video and play-by-play of the game will be available at www.ihigh.com/redstorm with pregame beginning at 1:45 p.m.