Sports

Rio Grande Defeats OU-Lancaster, Will Play West Virginia Tech

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The women's basketball team from Rio Grande has rolled into a 4-0 record to begin its season. This marks the best start the RedStorm has had since the 2010-11 season. They have once again set the bar high with their 82-55 win over Ohio University-Lancaster on Friday in the Bevo Francis Tournament, which Rio Grande hosts.

OU-Lancaster put up a fight by causing some early turnovers, but the RedStorm prevailed with a 12-1 run by the end of the half, and led with a 47-23 score, which led to a season-low 35 points in the second half. However, these numbers were still enough to get the RedStorm a spot in the championship game on Saturday. The ladies' didn't turn over the most impressive stats of their season, shooting 46 percent from the field, but still edged OU-Lancaster in rebounding with a 44-35 total.

The spotlight shined on a few different players in this game, showing Rio’s full depth of roster and undoubted strength as a team this season. Freshman Brooke Marcum hit a career high in Friday's game with 18 points and 10 rebounds, as well as receiving the first double-double of her career. Junior Brianna Thomas, who has held high numbers since the beginning of the season, along with freshmen Kaylyn Gambill and Sharday Baines had outstanding performances as guards in this game as well.

Thomas was able to attain five assists and 17 points throughout the game. These numbers put Thomas up to an average of at least five assists in her first four games as a RedStorm.

Gambill set the court on fire with her 53 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and kept that fire burning when she connected on five of her 10 attempted three-pointers, giving her 15 points in the game. Baines, with this game producing only her second time off the bench since the start of the season, didn't disappoint. She attained a team-high seven assists, and threw in some no-look passes to keep the crowd engaged.

The RedStorm will continue their tournament play on Saturday in the championship game as they take on West Virginia University-Tech. WVU Tech entered tournament play with an 0-4 record, but has had a slight turnaround with a win against Midway College in the first day of games in the Bevo Francis Invitational Tournament. Rio Grande is hoping to keep its electric energy up to par with the last four games to not only achieve a 5-0 record, but to win the tournament as well.

The final day of play in the Bevo Francis Invitational Tournament will begin at 11 a.m. with a consolidation game between OU-Lancaster and Midway.

The women's championship game between the RedStorm and WVU Tech will tip off at 3 p.m. in Newt Oliver Arena.