NAIA

[Men's Basketball] Slow starts doom RedStorm men in title game loss

Rio Grande Sports Information    BECKLEY, W.Va. – Given that two of its starters weren't in uniform and a third wasn't even in the building, the University of Rio Grande men's basketball team already had their collective backs against the wall heading into Tuesday night's championship game of the River States Conference Tournament against rival West Virginia University-Tech.    Whatever damage the RedStorm's outstanding injury woes didn't inflict, an eight-minute scoreless stretch in the opening half did.    The host Golden Bears built a 21-point first half lead and never looked back, cruising to a 75-60 win at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.    WVU-Tech improved to 12-6 with a third straight win, while avenging a buzzer-beating regular season loss to Rio in the process.    The RedStorm, who had a six-game winning streak snapped, slipped to 16-9 with the loss.