Women's Hoops Fall at Virginia Tech

Tuesday, November 18

Blacksburg, Va.

7:00 p.m.

Radford University

Virginia Tech

11/18/2008 9:20:59 PM | Women's Basketball

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Radford fell at Virginia Tech, 78-54, Tuesday evening from Cassell Coliseum. Juniors Charron Leeper (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) and Kymesha Alston (Hampton, Va.) each tallied a team high 11 points and game best eight rebounds. Senior Johnette Walker (Columbia, S.C./Irmo) contributed with 11 points and a game high five steals.

Shanie Grey led four Hokies (2-0) in double figures with a game high 17 points on 5-fo-8 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Lindsay Biggs added 15 points with eight rebounds and a game best six assists.

Virginia Tech used an early 10-0 run and shot 54.5 percent (12-22) from the field take a 34-17 lead into halftime. The Hokies shot 90.9 percent (10-11) from the line and forced 12 turnovers, leading to 12 points. Grey and Utahya Drye paced Virginia Tech with nine and eight points. Senior Vandy Pullen (Arlington, Va./Maine) led Radford (0-2) with five points at the break.

After Walker's steal and layup at 17:43 tied the game at 4-4, Virginia Tech went on its 10-0 run over a 5:15 span to grab a 14-4 lead at the 12:15 mark. Pullen dropped in a triple that snapped a 5:48 scoreless drought and Alston drained a 15-foot jumper to cut the Hokies' advantage to 14-9. However, VT hit a pair of quick buckets, starting an 8-2 spurt to regain its double-digit advantage (22-11) with eight minutes on the clock.

With the Hokies holding a 27-17 lead at 4:37, they would score the final seven points of the half to take their 17-point lead into the break.

The Hokies continued the momentum into the second half, scoring the first seven points extending their lead to 41-17 three minutes in. They would push their lead to as many as 33 points (60-27) with 10:59 left.

Following Brittany Gordon's layup that made 60-27, the Highlanders found their shooting touch and went on a 22-6 run to get within 66-47 with 3:40 to go. Leeper sparked the run with an old-fashioned three-point play and scored nine of her career high 11 points during the seven-minute stretch.

A three-point play at 3:32 by Lakeisha Logan ended Radford's rally and Virginia Tech went on to the 78-54 victory.

Radford shot 41.7 percent (15-36) in the second half and finished shooting 33.8 percent (23-68) for the game. The Highlanders also generated a game high 12 steals and forced 23 turnovers. Virginia Tech shot 49.2 percent (29-59) for the game and 75 percent (18-24) from the line.

Radford will return to action on Tuesday, November 25 at Towson for a 7 p.m. tip off. This game will begin a four-game nine-day road trip that will see the Highlanders start in Baltimore, head west to California and come back across the country to Tennessee.