Rio Grande defeats # 4 team in the nation..NAIA

[Focused]

Another great game by the Red Storm...

December 2, 2008
RedStorm take down Cedarville
Rio Grande---The University of Rio Grande RedStorm men’s basketball team, ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA Division II Top 25 poll, continued to play the role of giant killer as they defeated NAIA Division II No. 4 Cedarville on Tuesday night at the Newt Oliver Arena, 70-65. This, one week after upsetting then No. 3 ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Rio Grande (8-1) just keeps finding ways to win games and make plays at crucial times and Tuesday night was no different.

The RedStorm stayed close early and then with a late run took a 31-23 to the half. Senior forward Brandon Ivery (Columbus, OH) had a emphatic break away dunk to close the half, his second of the first 20 minutes of action. Cedarville did not have an answer for the reigning American Mideast Conference Player of the Week as he scored 12 of his, game-high, 22 points in the first half.

Rio built the lead to as high as 14 points (40-26) in the second half before Cedarville (8-1) made a run. The Yellow Jackets tied the game at 55-55 at the 5:52 mark on an old fashioned three-point play from Derrick Hannon.

The game was back-and-forth from that point, Cedarville took the lead at 60-59 at the 4:12 mark with Rio coming back to tie the score at 65-65 with 1:11 to play on a lay-up from senior guard Brett Beucler (Sardinia, OH).

Rio grabbed the lead for good at 67-65 with 37 seconds remaining on a put back by Ivery.

Beucler followed up Ivery’s 22 points with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. Senior center Will Norwell (Cincinnati, OH) added 15 points, including a 7-for-8 effort from the free throw line.

Cedarville was able to get back thanks, in part, to the play of Hannon. He scored seven of his 11 points in the second half. The Jackets hit six treys in the second half with Grant Walker nailing three from long range to toss in 13 points for the game. Cedarville was led by Ricardo Alliman with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Rio out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets, 34-27, despite the vaunted front line that Cedarville possesses in the trio of Alliman, Christopher Walker and Daniel Rose.

“Our guys right now, our seniors and our junior, P.J. Rase, have been through the battles and right now they hate to lose,” said Rio Grande head coach Ken French. “They hate to lose more than they love to win and I’ve got to be honest, that’s how they’re approaching every day.”

“We knew Cedarville was going to make a run and when they did, the wheels started wobbling, but we got them tightened back up and we had every single guy on the floor make a play down the stretch and we were able to pull away and win the game,” French added.

Rio Grande will travel to West Virginia Tech this weekend to play in the Baisi Classic, December 5-6. The RedStorm will play Clermont College at 6 p.m. Stretch Internet will have play-by-play coverage beginning at approximately 5:30 p.m.

[Raiderball]

Congrats to Coach French and the Red Storm (that just doesnt sound right. I still want to call them Redmen) another good win.

[85inside]

I guess Coach Lafon is going to have bragging rights over me, after the Redmen defeated my MVNU Cougars. Maybe when we get them in the PE Center in Mt Vernon, we can even the score.
Congrats to the Red Storm ( I incorrectly called them Redmen last time) and good luck the rest of the season...except against MVNU