BOX SCORE RADFORD, Va. – In its first overtime game of the season, Radford women's basketball dropped a 59-55 decision to Gardner-Webb in the home finale despite Ashley Buckhannon and Da'Naria Erwin Spencer's second consecutive 20-point efforts.
 
The tightly contested game featured 8 ties and 16 lead changes.  The largest scoring margin for either team during the entire game was just five points.
 
Radford (15-13, 9-8 Big South) held a slim five-point lead with 6:35 remaining in the second half on a jumper by Buckhannon.  Gardner-Webb (4-23, 3-13 Big South) would go on a 5-0 spurt to even the score for the fourth time.  The two sides would trade buckets until a Jasmine Dale jumper and free throw by Catrina Green gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a two-point advantage with just under two minutes remaining.
 
Erwin Spencer's jumper at 1:39 tied the game, 48-48, and neither team could convert a go-ahead attempt in the closing seconds, which eventually sent the game into overtime.
 
In the overtime period, Brianna Dillard of Gardner-Webb hit a layup on its first possession to go ahead 50-48 and wouldn't surrender the lead the rest of the way. 
 
Buckhannon scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting and hit all three of Radford's triples.  Erwin Spencer dropped 20 points and recorded a game-high 5 steals.  In her second straight start, Tiana Cannon did most of the work for Radford on the boards by tying her career high in rebounds with 10. 
 
It was the second consecutive game and fourth time this season Buckhannon and Erwin Spencer drained 20 or more points in the same game.  
 
Dillard led the way for Gardner-Webb with 17 points and had 9 rebounds.  Jessica Heilig and Green dominated the glass with 15 and 13 rebounds, respectively.  The duo helped Gardner-Webb to a decisive 64-45 advantage in rebounds.
 
Despite the loss, Radford held Gardner-Webb to just 25 percent shooting (17-of-66).  Each club had missed opportunities from the stripe, as the Highlanders went 14-of-30, while the Runnin' Bulldogs hit 22-of-42 attempts.  Holding onto the lead in the extra period, however, Gardner-Webb knocked down seven key free throws to put the game way.
 
The Highlanders will close out the regular season with a 7 p.m. road tilt at Liberty on March 2.