CAREER-HIGH PERFORMANCES HIGHLIGHT RADFORD’S 76-64 WIN OVER UNCG

BOX SCORE GREENSBORO, N.C. – Jordynn Gaymon, Diani Mason and Victoria Hamilton set career highs and the Radford women's basketball team held off a late rally by UNC Greensboro to seize a 76-64 victory Tuesday night inside Fleming Gymnasium.

Gaymon and Mason notched career highs in the scoring column with 16 and 14, respectively, for the Highlanders (1-1). Hamilton hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds and Ashley Buckhannon finished with 10 points, including a 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe.

“I am extremely proud of our team's effort tonight,” commented head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba. “We came out aggressive and that mentality allowed us to set the tone early.”

After UNCG (0-2) opened with the first bucket of the game, a Hamilton deuce ignited a 9-0 spurt to put the Highlanders out in front. The Spartans cut it to three (14-11) following a Jazmine Missouri jumper, but Radford responded with a run of its own to take a double-digit lead (26-15) after a pair of Mason free throws.

A Gaymon layup at the 4:28 mark gave RU its largest advantage of 18 (38-20) and the Highlanders would go into the locker room with a 44-33 lead. The 44 points are the most in one half by Radford since it put up 46 at Liberty on March 2, 2012. The Highlanders connected on 45.7 percent (16-35) of their shots in the opening stanza.

UNCG came out with an early charge in the second half, cutting Radford's advantage to seven (44-37). The Highlanders were up to the task, however, responding with a 6-0 stretch capped by an Ayana Avery layup to give RU the 50-37 lead with 15:31 remaining in the game.

A Kiera McIvor deuce with 8:45 remaining extended the Highlanders' lead to 62-45, before the Spartans made one final charge. The hosts embarked on a 17-7 rally to pull within 69-62 at the 2:05 mark.

The Highlanders stood strong, as Buckhannon and Breshara Gordon converted free throws down the stretch to secure the second-straight victory for RU in the series with its rivals to the south.

Radford connected on 27-of-65 shots for a 41.5 percent clip and 19-of-24 free throws (79.2 percent). The Highlanders also won the rebounding battle, 47-40.

“It was great to see us attack the glass like we did,” Ngongba said. “We also showed a lot of resiliency and heart when they made a run at us, and for that I am very pleased.”

For the second-straight outing, freshman Lucy Mason led UNC Greensboro in scoring with 16 points. Jarae Savage and Janae' Stevenson charted 13 and 12 points, respectively, to provide the three double-figure scorers for the Spartans.

RU returns to the court Sunday, Nov. 18 for its home opener against Bluefield College. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. inside the Dedmon Center.

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