Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. – Da'Naria Erwin Spencer and Brooke McElroy combined to score 25 second half points and Radford out scored George Mason, 31-9 over the final 10:11 to erase a 15-point deficit and earn a 63-56 come-from-behind road victory Friday evening from the Patriot Center.

The key to the comeback was a 21-5 run after Radford (2-2) fell behind 47-32 at the 11:05 mark. The run was capped off by a pair of Erwin Spencer freebies at 3:50 that gave the Highlanders a brief 53-52 lead.

George Mason (2-3) scored four straight points to retake the lead (56-53) with 3:18 left, but Radford answered with a game-ending 10-0 run over the final 2:19 to earn the hard fought comeback win.

"We showed a lot of composure tonight and received positive contributions from every single player that stepped on the court" said third-year head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba. "We did a great job executing our defensive game plan. We buckled down and held George Mason to one shot on several possessions."

During the game-winning run, McElroy put the Highlanders in the lead for good (58-56) after Erwin Spencer picked a GMU pocket and found McElroy on the break for an easy two. Along with a pair of big buckets from McElroy, Erwin Spencer hit five straight free throws to seal the victory.

Radford hit 13-of-19 from the charity stripe in the second half and 21-of-31 for the contest. Erwin Spencer was 9-of-13, while six other Highlanders hit at least one charity toss. The Highlanders also controlled the glass, 39-26 which included 15 offensive boards.

Erwin Spencer led all scorers with 18 points, 13 in the second half, and also recorded four assists and four steals. McElroy registered her first double-double of the season with 12 points, all in the second half, and a game-best 10 rebounds. She also tied Erwin Spencer with a game-high four thefts.

"Brooke had a great second half, hitting some key buckets after struggling from the field in the first half," said Ngongba. "Da'naria was very poised during that second half run and made big free throws in the final minutes."

Taleia Moton paced GMU with 16 points and four steals.

In a half that featured a pair of double-digit runs, Radford went into the break down by two, 28-26. George Mason used a 13-0 run to grab an 18-6 lead midway through the first half.

The Highlanders, who went scoreless for just over seven minutes, finally tickled the twine on an Erwin Spencer free throw jumper at 9:02.

That basket not only ended the drought, but ignited a 10-0 run that enabled Radford to get back into the contest at 18-16 with 5:51 left on the clock.

GMU ended its drought on a bucket by Rahneeka Saunders and pushed its lead to as much as seven (24-17) before the Highlanders were able to make it a two-point game at the half with the help of two triples from Denay Wood.

Wood finished the contest with 12 points and nine rebounds.

In the second half, Wood's jumper in the paint at 17:21 gave Radford its first lead (30-29) since the 16:06 mark of the first stanza. Amber Easter answered for the Patriots just 20 seconds later with a jumper of her own and that started the 17-2 run.

Radford returns home on Mon., Nov. 29 to host Hampton at 7 p.m.