MIDWAY, Ky. -- Following a road trip to Pittsburgh over the weekend, the Midway men's basketball team returned to Marshall Gymnasium on Tuesday night when they hosted Rio Grande (Ohio) for a River States Conference matchup.

The RedStorm used a strong shooting performance coupled with a stifling defensive effort to escape Marshall Gymnasium with a 69-50 victory.

With the loss, Joe Krupinski's squad slips to 9-7 overall and 5-3 in league play, while the RedStorm improve to 14-4 overall and 8-0 in RSC play following the win.

Midway got off to a strong start and led throughout the first half which included a 6-0 run that broke an 11-all tie. TJ O'Connor (Miami, Fla.) started the run with a tip-in, while Donnie Miller (Newport, Ky.) sank a pair of buckets giving his team a 17-11 advantage.

A few minutes later, Dae'Shawn White (Newport, Ky.) sank a trey giving Midway a 24-22 lead, but the final 3:35 saw the home team score just one point. Rio Grande capitalized and closed the half on a 9-1 run taking a 31-25 lead into the locker room.

The RedStorm rally continued into the second half where they turned the run into a 17-1 rally after opening the final frame on an 8-0 run.

Back-to-back buckets by Tobias Thompson (Louisville, Ky.) and Will VanHook (West Palm Beach, Fla.) got Midway within single digits with just over 12 minutes remaining, but Rio Grande answered with an 11-0 run pushing the lead back to 20 as they would cruise to the 69-50 win.

Miller led the way for the Eagles with a game-high 19 points, while O'Connor added eight points and four boards off the bench. Nick Keeton (Paintsville, Ky.), meanwhile, added seven points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Rio Grande finished the contest shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, while they also hit 10-of-24 from behind the arc en route to the win.

The Eagles are set to return to action on Saturday (Jan. 14) when they travel to Ohio Christian for a River States Conference matchup. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET in Circleville.

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