RADFORD RINGS IN NEW YEAR WITH 66-54 TRIUMPH OVER BULLDOGS

BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Radford utilized strong bench play and fended off a second-half comeback by UNC Asheville to prevail, 66-54, in Big South women's basketball action Thursday night inside the Dedmon Center.

Ayana Avery and Ashley Buckhannon poured in double-figure efforts for the Highlanders (6-6, 1-2 Big South) with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Diani Mason and Sarah Tabb contributed nine points each.

Kelli Riles knocked down 7-of-9 from the hardwood, in addition to a 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe, on her way to game highs in points (20) and rebounds (10) for the Bulldogs (2-12, 0-3 Big South). Riles became Asheville's all-time Division I leader in rebounding during the contest and now has 899 for her career.

Shonese Jones and Brittany Gwyn registered 19 and 11 points, respectively, to round out three Bulldogs in double-figure scoring.

“It is always nice to get that first Big South win under our belt,” commented head coach Tajama Abraham Ngongba. “Asheville made a run at the end, but we were able to hang in there and grind out the win.”

The visitors finished with a 42.9-percent rate (18-of-42), while the Highlanders connected on 40.7 percent of their attempts (24-of-59). The Bulldogs also won the battle on the glass, 35-33.

However, Radford got major contributions from the reserves as the squad outscored UNCA's bench, 38-15. The Highlanders also made a living in the paint, outscoring their opponent 34-20. Radford remains unbeaten at 5-0 when winning this category.

After the Bulldogs scored the game's first five points, a Victoria Hamilton bucket at the 15:24 mark sparked a 16-2 run to vault the Highlanders in front, 16-7. UNCA answered with a 7-0 spurt to cut its deficit to two (16-14) with 7:24 to go before intermission.

Leading 20-17, RU finished the half on a 14-6 surge to restore its double-digit advantage (34-23) at the break. The Highlanders shot 35.1 percent (13-of-37), while holding the visitors to 31.8 percent (7-of-22). Radford was blistering hot from downtown (45.5 percent), connecting on 5-of-11 from behind the arc.

Opening the second stanza with a 20-9 surge, the Highlanders built their largest lead at 54-32 with 12:08 to go. UNC Asheville would not go away easily as it was able to trim the Radford lead to 11 (63-52) with 1:54 remaining. Buckhannon scored the next three points for the Highlanders to seal their first Big South win of the season.

The final half of action featured both teams shooting 50 percent or better from the floor. Radford nailed 11-of-22 (50 percent), while the Bulldogs were slightly better at 55 percent (11-of-20).

Radford hits the road for its next two outings. First up is a Jan. 10 matchup at Gardner-Webb. Tipoff between the Highlanders and the Runnin' Bulldogs is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Paul Porter Arena.

UNC Asheville continues its visit to the Commonwealth with a Jan. 5 trip to Liberty, which is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. inside the Vines Center.

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