HIGHLANDERS FACE ROAD TEST AT MARSHALL TO OPEN SEASON

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RADFORD, Va. – The 2012-13 season for Radford women's basketball opens in Huntington, W.Va. as the Highlanders clash with the Thundering Herd of Marshall in a Friday matinee inside the Cam Henderson Center.
♦ Marshall returns 10 letterwinners off a squad that went 16-14 last season and tied for seventh in Conference USA.
♦ Meeting for the 27th time in the series, the Thundering Herd hold a 14-12 edge entering Friday's matchup. Marshall won the last encounter, 70-66, at home on Dec. 31, 2009.

PRESEASON STORYLINES
♦ The 2012-13 edition of Radford women's hoops will feature one of the most experienced groups in the conference, if not the nation, returning all five starters and 12 letterwinners from a year ago.
♦ MILESTONE TRACKER: Da'Naria Erwin Spencer is four points shy of becoming the third player in program history to be listed in the Top-10 for points, assists, and steals. She became the fourth Highlander to reach the 1,000-point plateau by the end of her junior year and the first since Shannon Wilkey in 1993.
♦ Erwin Spencer was named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference Team for the second straight season.
♦ The Highlanders were picked to finish fifth in the coaches/media preseason poll.
♦ Tajama Abraham Ngongba returns for her fifth season at the helm of the Highlanders after coaching the U.S. Virgin Islands Senior Women's National Team over the summer.

MEET THE THUNDERING HERD
♦ Under the direction of first-year head coach Matt Daniel, Marshall looks to improve upon its 16-14 mark from last season. Daniel, who becomes the sixth head coach in program history, joins the Thundering Herd after serving as head coach for the University of Central Arkansas for four years. With the Sugar Bears, Daniel led the program through its transition to Division I, while winning its first Division I championship in the Southland Conference. He was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2012.
♦ Erica Woods is the top returning scorer and rebounder for the Thundering Herd with 6.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest, respectively.
♦ Marshall defeated Concord (Division II) 84-71 Thursday evening (Nov. 1) and Kentucky State, 67-50, Sunday afternoon (Nov. 4) to go unbeaten in its two exhibition contests.

SERIES HISTORY
♦ The Thundering Herd hold a slight 14-12 edge in a series that dates back to the 1972-73 season. The Highlanders have won three out of their last five outings with Marshall, including one win in the Preseason WNIT in 2007.

LAST MEETING WITH MARSHALL
♦ Despite a game-high 23 points from redshirt senior Kymesha Alston, Radford fell short at Marshall, 70-66, in a New Year's Eve matinee at the Cam Henderson Center.
♦ With the game tied at 60, the Thundering Herd used an 8-2 spurt and held off a late comeback attempt by the Highlanders to clinch their sixth straight victory.
♦ Alston tied a career-high with her 23 points, going 6-of-14 from the field and 11-for-14 from the free throw line. She also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and recorded a career-best five of Radford's 14 steals.
♦ Freshman Ashley Buckhannon contributed her second straight double-figure performance with 15 points, hitting all three of her 3-point attempts. Juniors Kaylyn Crosier and Jewell Kinlaw chipped in 12 points apiece.
♦ Marshall was led by Tynikki Crook's 13-point, 11-rebound double-double. Chantelle Handy and Mystee Dale contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
♦ Trailing 56-50, Buckhannon almost single-handedly gave the Highlanders their first lead of the game at the 6:47 mark. Scoring the final six points of an 8-0 run, Buckhannon gave the Highlanders a 58-56 lead with her third trifecta of the game.
♦ The Thundering Herd took a 60-59 lead on a Dale layup at 4:40. Following a free throw by Buckhannon to tie the contest, Dale and Kendra King scored back-to-back buckets to give Marshall the lead for good.
♦ The Highlanders shot 43.9 percent (25-57) from the floor and 50 percent (3-6) from 3-point land, while the Herd hit 49.2 percent (31-63) of their shots from the field.
♦ Marshall controlled the glass, 41-34, including 21 offensive rebounds that led to 26 second chance points.

WHAT'S NEXT
♦ Radford stays on the road for a Tuesday (Nov. 13) clash with UNC Greensboro inside Fleming Gym at 7:00 p.m. The Highlanders won last season's encounter, 75-67, with the Spartans in the Dedmon Center.

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