BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Behind three players in double figures and 63.6 percent shooting, Radford women's basketball defeated Charleston Southern, 73-66, Monday night for its seventh straight victory.
 
Da'Naria Erwin Spencer topped the 20-point plateau for the 11th time this season with a team-high 23 points.  Ashley Buckhannon chipped in with 16 points, 11 coming in the first half, and dished out 4 assists.  Ayana Avery rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. 

Front duo Victoria Hamilton and Sarah Tabb did the work on the glass, pulling down 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively.  
 
Charleston Southern's Lakeitha Alston was nearly unstoppable in the paint, as she recorded a game-high 27 points.  Rachelle Coward, the Big South's second leading scorer, recorded 17 points, one shy of her average. 
 
Radford improved to 14-10, 8-5 in league play, and took sole possession of third place in the conference standings.  Radford is also 12-0 this season when leading at halftime.
 
The 63 percent (28-of-44) shooting from the field was just two percent shy of becoming a new Dedmon Center record.  The seventh straight league win for the Highlanders stands as the longest streak since 1992-93.
 
“I really felt we played as a team, particularly on defense.  We hustled, communicated well and played with a lot of energy tonight and I'm really proud of my team,” commented head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba. 
 
The Buccaneers hit their season average, going 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from long range and converted 11-of-13 from the stripe. 
 
Radford led by as many as 14 in the second half, 58-44, on a jumper by Erwin Spencer at 10:32.  Charleston Southern would chip away at the lead and used a 7-3 run to draw within six at 4:40 and again at the 2:26 mark. 
 
With under a minute to play and up only six points, 69-63, the Highlanders would sink six free throws to put the game out of reach.   
 
Radford took a 37-27 lead into halftime due to a blistering 69.6 percent shooting.  The Highlanders connected on 16-of-23 attempts, including a 3-of-7 mark from downtown. 
 
Charleston Southern made its first four field goals and held a slim 13-8 advantage early.  Radford would then go a short 7-2 spurt to draw even, 15-15.  Following a Coward 3-pointer, Radford would score the next 11 points to grab a 26-18 lead.
 
The Highlanders would continue their hot shooting and pull ahead by as many as 10 on two occasions in the opening stanza. 
 
The Highlanders hit the road again on Saturday, Feb. 18 with a 3 p.m. contest at Presbyterian.