BOX SCORE

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Ashley Buckhannon and Da'Naria Erwin Spencer each hit the 20-point plateau to help Radford take a 72-62 victory on the road at UNC Asheville Monday night at Kimmel Arena. 
 
With the win, Radford improved to 10-10 overall and 4-5 in league play, while UNC Asheville dropped to 7-13, 3-6 in the Big South.
 
Erwin Spencer led all Radford players with 21 points and went 7-of-8 from the stripe.  It stood as her second straight 20-plus point effort and the third time this season she has posted 20 or more points in consecutive games.  Buckhannon scored 13 of her 20 points in the second half and also dished out a career-high 7 assists.
 
Frontcourt duo Sarah Tabb and Victoria Hamilton cleaned the glass with 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively.  Hamilton would add 11 points to round out the double-figure scorers for the Highlanders.
 
Shonese Jones had a game-high 30 points and carried the Bulldogs throughout most of the second half.  She went 8-of-17 from the floor, including a 5-for-7 mark from downtown.  Leah Wormack also chipped in with 16 points. 
 
Buckhannon came out firing after the break, hitting two quick treys and allowed Radford to take the lead, 40-37, for the first time since 19:43 in the first half. 
 
“To come out with Ashley hitting those two big three's early in the second half really helped our confidence and got us going,” commented head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba. 
 
After a layup by Wormack, Hamilton converted a three-point play and Buckhannon added another bucket to stretch out Radford's advantage to six, 45-39.
 
Radford would go 8:59 without a score and Asheville went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 46-45.  Following the drought, Erwin Spencer drained nine consecutive points to put the Highlanders back on top, 54-48.
 
When the momentum was on Radford's side, Jones kept the Bulldogs in the game with three trifectas and a pair of free throws, but Radford kept its composure and hit 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to record its third straight victory.
 
“I thought overall it was a sloppy game, but I thought when we needed it, we had a great defensive presence.  Ashia Holmes did a great job of defending the perimeter and Sarah and La-She' Walker did a great job battling in the post.”
 
After a 56 percent clip in the first half, Radford held Asheville to just 28 percent shooting in the second half.
 
Radford recorded a season-low nine turnovers, while making the Bulldogs commit 19.  The Highlanders also posted 12 steals, its fifth straight game with 10 or more.
 
After an initial steal by Erwin Spencer on the first possession that led to a fast break layup, the Bulldogs reeled off nine unanswered points. 
 
Asheville connected on 14-of-25 (.560) of its field goal attempts in the first half, with 12 scores coming on an assisted play.  The Highlanders, however, answered many of the Bulldogs buckets and kept the score within three for the majority of the half. 
 
Erwin Spencer tallied 12 points in the opening stanza.  Wormack and Jones did most of the work in the first half for Asheville in the scoring column with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
The Highlanders tied up the game, 30-30, on two free throws by Erwin Spencer, but Asheville went on a short 5-0 run and went into the break up, 37-34.
 
Radford returns to the road Saturday, Feb. 4 when they face High Point with a 4 p.m. tip.