Rio Grande’s Kaylee Darnell puts up a shot late in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 96-87 loss to Campbellsville University in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship Round of 16 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Darnell scored 15 points in the loss to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Courtesy of Justyce Marcum of University of Rio Grande
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — For three quarters, the University of Rio Grande showed that it most definitely belonged in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship Round of 16.
But in the fourth quarter, Campbellsville University used the experience of being there before to pull away from their former fellow Mid-South Conference member.
Maddy Boyle canned a three-point goal with 7:40 left to play, snapping a 68-all tie and kickstarting a 10-0 run which gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish — in an eventual 96-87 triumph over the RedStorm on Monday night at the Tyson Events Center.
Campbellsville, the No.1 seed in the Duer Quadrant and the No.2-ranked team in the final regular season NAIA coaches’ Top 25 poll, improved to 31-2 with the win.
The Tigers, which were making their ninth appearance in the Round of 16 or later under 16th-year head coach Ginger Colvin, also won for the 14th time in 15 all-time meetings against Rio Grande.
The RedStorm, the No. 4 seed in the Duer Quadrant, was making the school’s first appearance in the Round of 16 and finished its season at 30-4.
The RedStorm grabbed what proved to be their final lead of the night, 66-65, after a jumper in the lane by sophomore Kaylee Darnell of Wheelersburg with 9:26 remaining.
Darnell finished with 15 points — the final two of which came on a jumper with 7.1 seconds left – giving her an even 1,000 for her career.
