BOX SCORE
RADFORD, Va. – After a tip-in at the buzzer by High Point's Cheyenne Parker sent the game into overtime, Radford, keyed by an improbable five-point possession, scored the final 10 points of the game to rally for a 68-63 victory in Big South women's basketball action Monday evening from the Dedmon Center.
The win moved the Highlanders (6-10) to 3-0 in the Big South for the first time since the 2006-07 season, while the Panthers fell to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
The five-point possession came at the 1:21 mark of the overtime when
Erica Rivera drained a 3-pointer from the right side. While the ball was in flight,
Kahealani Vick was fouled and sunk both ends of her one-plus-one free throw attempts.
After an air ball on the other end, Da'Naria Erwin Spencer drove for the game-winning layup and was fouled with 37.7 seconds left in the extra session. She did not convert the three-point play, but Radford hit three of its final four free throws to secure the win.
Erwin Spencer led all scorers with 24 points, which matched a career-high. She hit 10-of-20 from the field, grabbed five rebounds and recorded three of Radford's 12 steals. Rivera finished with seven points.
Victoria Hamilton added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Frances Fields paced three Panthers in double figures with 15 points to go with five boards, four assists and three steals. Erin Reynolds and Shamia Brown chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jazmin Cromartie pulled down 10 rebounds, blocked six shots and added six points.
In the second half, Radford built an early 15-point lead and led by 11 (53-42) with just over four minutes left in the game.
However, High Point closed out the final 3:45 with a 14-3 run, which included six of the final seven points.
Brown drained two free throws for the Panthers with 15 seconds left to make it a 55-54 ball game. After Erwin Spencer made one-of-two free throws, Reynolds missed a 3-pointer, but High Point got the ball back with 1.1 seconds on the clock.
After the first inbounds pass was deflected, the Panthers were left with six-tenths of a second on the clock. Fields lobbed the ball far side to Parker, who leaped with one hand extended and pushed it off the backboard from three feet for the game-tying bucket.
Highlighted by a 17-0 run, Radford raced into the lockerroom with a 27-15 halftime lead. The Highlanders, led by Erwin Spencer's 12 points, held the Panthers to just 17.9 percent (5-28) from the field, along with forcing 14 miscues (nine steals). Vick recorded a career-high four thefts in the half.
With the score tied at 6-6, Radford scored 17 straight points and held High Point scoreless for almost 10 minutes. Seven different Highlanders scored during the run, while the Panthers missed 13 straight shots and turned the ball over 10 times.
Amy Dodd broke the scoreless drought for the Panthers with a pair of free throws at 6:51. That would start a 9-2 run which cut Radford's lead to 10 (25-15), before Erwin Spencer drained a foul line jumper at the buzzer to give them the 12-point advantage.
Radford shot 43.8 percent for the game, while the Panthers shot just 32.4 percent. High Point held a slight advantage on the boards, 46-42, while both teams committed 21 turnovers.
Brooke McElroy pulled down a game-high 12 caroms, blocked a career-best four shots and added eight points for the Highlanders.
Radford returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 15 for a matchup with Winthrop at 7 p.m.
