Women's Basketball | 3/4/2025 11:43:48 PM

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - The final record will show the season series between Shawnee State University and the University of Rio Grande for 2024-25 as Bears 2, RedStorm 1.

But with the River States Conference title on the line Tuesday night in Portsmouth, the RedStorm got the "1" that mattered.

Rio Grande won their fourth straight River States Conference championship Tuesday night, finally toppling the Bears with a 60-51 victory at Waller Gymnasium. The win marked the RedStorm's 12th straight victory in RSC Tournament play.

For a team marked by their furious offensive attack, the RedStorm relied on their defense to claim a fourth straight crown. The second ranked offense in America needed just 60 points to win, and their 51 points allowed was the lowest by a RedStorm team in nearly 16 months, since a 116-44 win over Union in the second game of the 2023-24 season.

Rio Grande head coach David Smalley said following the contest that the RedStorm made the active decision to play a tempo more suitable to the Bears - the nation's eighth ranked defense.

"We made the conscientious decision - we could press, and get the tempo up to what was best for us, but we decided to just put our feet in the floor and defend," Smalley said, "and I thought we did a pretty good job for the most part."

As was the case for the first two meetings between the teams, the game was hotly contested, with Rio Grande's final edge of nine points the largest lead for either team. The score flipped between the Bears and the RedStorm, with Rio Grande leading at the end of the first quarter, Shawnee State ahead at halftime, and Rio Grande holding the lead at the end of the third.

In the fourth quarter, Rio Grande did not allow a field goal to the Bears until the 2:44 mark, at which point the RedStorm had built a 53-45 lead. The Bears were able to get it back to six points with 2:44 to play, and had two chances to get within three or four in the final two minutes, but could never fully close the gap.

First Team All-Conference selection Kaylee Darnell led all scorers with 21 points, while Jasmine Jordan chipped in with another of her customary double-doubles of 12 points and 19 rebounds. Shawnee State was led by First Team selection Miyoshi Ellis' 17 points, with Jonilyah Chambers scoring 13 points and Cianna Gloster posting a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Following a game played in front of a near sellout, Smalley commented on what was an incredible atmosphere in Portsmouth.

"What a great product - women's basketball in southeast Ohio," Smalley said on Rio Grande's postgame show. "If you didn't see this, you missed a treat, because we had just about everything - a slugfest, physicality, finesse, people stepping up."

Both Rio Grande and Shawnee State will play in the 2025 NAIA Tournament, with the selection show scheduled for Thursday night.