RADFORD PREPARES FOR TUESDAY CLASH WITH SPARTANS ON THE HARDWOOD

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team wraps up its two-game stretch of contests away from home to open the season when the squad battles UNC Greensboro, Tuesday, at 7:00 p.m. inside Fleming Gymnasium.

MEET THE SPARTANS
♦ Under the direction of second-year head coach Wendy Palmer, the Spartans return all five starters from a 2011-12 squad that produced a 4-25 record.
♦ UNCG dropped its season opener, 60-57, to Big South foe Charleston Southern Saturday evening as part of the Asheville Collegiate inside Kimmel Arena. Freshman Lucy Mason led the Spartans with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals in her debut.
♦ The Blue and Gold welcome the services of nine newcomers - seven of which are freshmen. Leading scorer and junior guard Breonna Patterson is back in the fold for UNCG after netting 11.1 points per game a season ago.
♦ The Spartans' top defensive force is also back in junior Janae' Stevenson, who pulled down 5.6 rebounds per outing and blocked 38 shots. She is currently fourth on the program's Top-10 chart with 74 blocked shots.
♦ UNCG not only welcomes nine newcomers, but Palmer will be working with some new faces on the sidelines as Latasha Shipman, Darren Guensch and Latoya Carter have joined the program as assistant coaches, while Jade Leitao has assumed Director of Basketball Operations duties.

SERIES HISTORY
♦ The Highlanders and Spartans have a long history dating back to the 1975-76 season with UNCG leading the series, 11-6.
♦ The two teams last met during the 2011-12 campaign on Nov. 21 when the Highlanders prevailed 75-67 inside the Dedmon Center.

LAST MEETING WITH UNC GREENSBORO
♦ Da'Naria Erwin Spencer recorded a season-high 27 points and answered several UNC Greensboro runs as Radford women's basketball slipped by the Spartans, 75-67, at the Dedmon Center Nov. 21.
♦ Radford became only the fifth team in school history to start 4-0 and the first to accomplish the feat since 1983-84.
♦ Erwin Spencer led all scorers with 27, including 9-of-9 from the stripe and Ashley Buckhannon tallied 14 points. The Highlanders shot 48 percent from the field on 28-of-58 shooting and improved to 25-7 under Ngongba when hitting 40 percent shooting or better.

WHAT'S NEXT
♦ Radford returns to the court Sunday, Nov. 18, for its home opener with the Bluefield College Rams. The 3:00 p.m. tilt will mark the first meeting between the two squads since Dec. 6, 1989. The Highlanders have a 2-0 edge in the series.

PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
♦ In the last contest of the 2011-12 campaign, current sophomore Ayana Avery dropped 19 points to lead the Highlanders in the scoring column. She went 7-of-16 from the floor, including 5-of-10 from deep.
♦ In the season opener at Marshall, Avery once again led RU in scoring with 18 points. She hit 7-of-11 from the hardwood, including 4-of-6 from downtown.

LAST TIME OUT
♦ Da'Naria Erwin Spencer netted 14 points to become the third player in Radford women's basketball history to be listed in the Top-10 for points, assists, and steals, but the Highlanders were edged, 65-63, by Marshall in both teams' season opener Friday afternoon inside the Cam Henderson Center.
♦ Erwin Spencer's 14-point outing pushed her past Beth Cleavenger (1,161), Kelli Tull (1,163), Jennifer Grant (1,165) and Rebecca McNeil (1,174). The Charlotte, N.C. native has 1,175 points in her career and is ninth on the all-time list.
♦ Ayana Avery led the Highlanders with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep. Sarah Tabb hauled in a game-high nine rebounds for Radford, which shot 39.3 percent from the floor. Ashley Buckhannon and Victoria Hamilton were credited with four steals apiece.

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