RADFORD, Va. – Junior Denay Wood (Bailey's Crossroads, Va./Annandale) scored a career-high 17 points and Radford held Winthrop to 28 percent shooting as the Highlanders picked up a 57-48 victory in Big South action from the Dedmon Center Monday evening.

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Wood was 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-7 from long range, helping Radford improve to 3-11 overall and 2-1 in the Big South. Redshirt senior Kymesha Alston (Hampton, Va./Manhattan) contributed 15 points and five rebounds, hitting double figures in points for the fifth consecutive contest.

Winthrop's Shanice Cole paced the Eagles (6-9, 1-2 BSC) with a double-double. She netted a game-high 20 points and pulled down a game and career-best 15 rebounds.

All three of Wood's triples came at a crucial juncture early in the second half. Just as Winthrop got within one (28-27) on back-to-back putbacks by Shelly Hankins and Cole, Wood caught fire. She went on her own personal 9-2 run to put Radford in command at 37-29 with 13:29 left in the game.

The Eagles cut the lead to six points on two occasions after the run, but the Highlanders turned a pair of Eagle miscues into a pair of layups by freshmen Da'Naria Erwin-Spencer (Charlotte, N.C./East Mecklenburg) and Ashley Buckhannon (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe).

The latter gave Radford a 10-point advantage (43-33) with 8:56 remaining and the game remained a three possession-or-more contest the rest of the way.

Radford, which shot 46 percent for the game, distributed the ball efficiently as 18 of its 22 field goals were assisted. Erwin Spencer led the Highlanders with a career-high eight dimes. She also tied Alston with a team-best five boards.

Radford shot 50 percent and held Winthrop to just 25 percent from floor to take a 26-23 lead into halftime. Alston dropped in eight points for the Highlanders, while Winthrop's Cole led all scorers with 10 points.

Winthrop jumped out to a 7-2 lead behind four points from Cole in the first 2:26. Radford responded with a 13-2 run to take its largest lead of the half (15-9) when Buckhannon canned a trifecta at 11:34.

The Eagles regained the lead courtesy of Jessica Fansler's second triple of the half at 7:30 to cap an 8-1 spurt. After the teams traded buckets, Radford tallied six straight points to grab a 24-19 advantage with 2:23 on the clock and take its three-point lead into the break.

For the game, Junior Jewell Kinlaw (Madison, Ala./Northwest Shoals CC) and Buckhannon chipped in with nine and eight points for Radford. Kinlaw also recorded a game-high four steals and two blocks.

Fansler added eight points for the Eagles.

Behind Cole's career-night, Winthrop out rebounded Radford, 38-30, including 17 offensive caroms. Despite their struggles from the field, the Eagles shot 83.3 percent (15 of 18) from the charity stripe, while Radford shot 69.2 percent (9 of 13).

Radford will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 at home, hosting UNC Asheville at 3 p.m. Winthrop continues its four-game road swing on Saturday at High Point. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.