Women's Basketball | 3/3/2026 11:21:18 PM

RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The women's basketball program at the University of Rio Grande has been the dominant program in the River States Conference for a half decade.

But Tuesday night, the RedStorm put the finishing touches on one accomplishment that had eluded them - perfection.

The RedStorm of Rio Grande completed a perfect River States Conference season with their fifth consecutive River States Conference Tournament title, thanks to an 83-66 victory over the Bearcats of Brescia University. 

Early on, the Bearcats kept the high-powered Rio Grande offense, which entered the contest ranked second in the nation at 95 points per game, in check. Rio made just three of their 16 field goal attempts in the first quarter, allowing Brescia to jump out to a 16-9 lead. The RedStorm did score the final four points of the quarter on a Josie Graves jumper and two free throws from Allie Ellyson, cutting the Bearcat lead to three by the end of the frame.

After Brescia scored the first basket of the second quarter, the RedStorm kicked into high gear. Rio Grande proceeded to go on a 16-5 run that culminated in an Ellyson three-pointer that sent the near-capacity crowd in Rio Grande into a frenzy and forced a Brescia timeout, with the Bearcats now trailing 29-23. The RedStorm added to their lead in the final five minutes of the frame, taking a 37-29 lead into the halftime break.

There was no such big run in the third quarter, but the RedStorm kept building their lead. The RedStorm led by as many as 14 points, while Brescia was able to get the Rio lead down to seven. By the end of the quarter, the RedStorm had a 63-50 lead.

The Bearcats got the Rio Grande lead down to eleven and had the ball with just over four minutes to play, but Brescia could get no closer. The RedStorm pulled away in the closing moments, earning the right to cut down the nets as confetti fell across the Newt Oliver Arena.

Marlee Grinstead showed why she was the RSC Player of the Year, leading all scorers with 26 points. The senior led a quintet of RedStorm players in double figures, with Allie Ellyson (15), Sophia Kline (15), Marina Garcia Perez (13), and Josie Graves (12) all joining here. Kline also added a game-high 17 rebounds. Brescia was led by Hailee Johnson, who scored 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds off the bench.

The road to a national championship will take different paths for the RedStorm and Bearcats, the two recipients of automatic bids from the RSC. The RedStorm were announced as a host site by the NAIA on Monday, while the Bearcats will be on the road. First round contests are scheduled for Friday, March 13, with second round contests following the next day. The goal for each of the 64 teams in the field will be to advance to the 45th Annual NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, held March 19-24 in Sioux City, Iowa.