RADFORD OPENS LEAGUE PLAY AT HOME AGAINST LIBERTY ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

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RADFORD, Va. – Radford women's basketball ends the 2011 calendar year and opens league play at home with a 4:30 p.m. tip against Liberty on New Year's Eve.

THE OPENING TIP
♦ In 41 years of basketball, the Highlanders have never fallen at home on New Year's Eve (3-0).
♦ Da'Naria Erwin Spencer (Charlotte, N.C./East Mecklenburg) continues to pace the Highlanders in scoring at 16.7 per contest. She has posted double figures in 18 of her last 21 games and has four outings of 20-plus points this season. Ashley Buckhannon (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe), who shares the starting backcourt with Erwin Spencer, averages 14.3 points per game.
♦ The frontcourt duo of Victoria Hamilton (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands/Antilles School) and Sarah Tabb (Chesapeake, Va./StoneBridge) are averaging 7.6 and 6.1 rebounds per game, respectively.
♦ Buckhannon and freshman Ayana Avery (Cleveland, N.C./West Rowan) have combined for 124 of Radford's 159 three-point attempts (.780). In addition, they are responsible for 40 of the Highlanders' 47 (.851) makes from long range. Avery is connecting on 37 percent of her attempts, ranking second in the Big South.
♦ Radford remains the league leader in free-throw shooting at 74 percent (145-195).

LAST TIME OUT
♦ The Highlanders fell on Dec. 22 at home against Davidson, 81-68. Despite the loss, Ayery had a career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including a 5-for-6 clip from behind the arc. Buckhannon also tallied 20 points. The duo combined for all nine of Radford's three-pointers. The difference came at the line, as Davidson made 26 of its 35 attempts, while Radford was just 9-of-12.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
♦ Entering the rivalry game with Radford, Liberty (5-6) has had an 11-day layoff from competition with its last game coming on Dec. 20, a 54-66 loss at Richmond.
♦ Preseason all-conference selections Avery Warley (13.8 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and Devon Brown (16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) pace the Lady Flames in both scoring and rebounding. Warley is second in the Big South in field-goal percentage (.600) while each player has gotten to the free-throw line 50 or more times this season.
♦ Four players are averaging five or more rebounds this year. As a team, Liberty is out-rebounding its opponents by 15.5 boards per game.

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