HIGHLANDERS CONCLUDE FOUR-GAME ROAD SWING IN GRAND STRAND

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RADFORD, Va. – Radford women's basketball's season-long four-game stretch of games away from the Dedmon Center comes to an end Saturday, culminating with a battle at Coastal Carolina (9-12, 4-7 Big South) inside The HTC Center. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.

MEET THE CHANTICLEERS

♦ Coastal's defense, ranked fifth-best in the Big South, allows 60.8 points an outing. The unit ranks fifth in field goal percentage defense (.369). CCU is right behind Radford in the league's steals category at 10.4 per game.
♦ Offensively, the Chants average 57.5 points each time out (ranks ninth in the Big South), while hauling in 41.0 caroms a game (ranks fourth in the league).
♦ Shatia Cole averages a team-best 10.7 points per contest (18th in league scoring). Angelica Henry drops in 10.4 points a game (tied for 20th in league scoring). Henry is sixth in the conference at dishing out dimes, averaging 3.5 assists a contest.
♦ Katelyn Connor leads the rebounding effort at 6.4 boards each time out (ranks 14th in BSC).
♦ Cole connected on a step-back jumper from the free-throw line with 1:04 to play then sank two from the charity stripe in the waning seconds to complete Coastal Carolina's 17-point second-half comeback and give the Chanticleers a 66-62 win over Longwood Thursday night at The HTC Center.

HIGHLANDER HAPPENINGS

♦ Radford is led by Ashley Buckhannon in the scoring column at 12.3 per contest (12th-best in conference), while Victoria Hamilton crashes the boards for a team-best 7.8 rebounds per outing (ranks sixth in the league). Buckhannon (2.6) and Hamilton (2.4) rank second and fifth, respectively, in the Big South in steals. Buckhannon is only seven points away from becoming the 20th member of Radford women's basketball's 1,000-point club.
♦ The Highlanders are efficient with their trips to the charity stripe, converting 72.9 percent of their attempts, which ranks second in the Big South.
♦ At 11.7 steals per game, Radford ranks first in the league, while also topping the Big South in turnover margin (+3.5).

SERIES HISTORY

♦ Winning seven of their previous 11 encounters with Coastal Carolina, the Highlanders lead the all-time series 40-16. RU leads 15-11 in road contests, but Saturday's meeting marks the first matchup between the two squads in The HTC Center.

WHAT'S NEXT

♦ After concluding its grueling four-game road stretch, Radford returns to the Dedmon Center for Big South tilts with Campbell and High Point.

LAST TIME OUT

♦ Much like the first meeting, Radford had to rally in the second half to dispatch Charleston Southern 64-57 in Big South women's basketball action Thursday night inside Buccaneer Field House.
♦ Trailing 32-27 at intermission, the Highlanders (12-7, 7-3 Big South) put the first six points of the second half on the scoreboard to go in front, 33-32, less than four minutes in. However, the Lady Bucs (6-13, 1-9 Big South) were able to halt the surge and battle with Radford for the next nine minutes.
♦ CSU tied the contest for the ninth time with seven minutes remaining, but Victoria Hamilton was there with an answer for RU. The senior's back-to-back deuces ignited an 11-0 streak, capped by an and-one, to establish the Highlanders' largest advantage at 60-49 with 4:12 showing on the clock.
♦ Dwindling the deficit to as little as five with just over a minute to go, the Lady Bucs were unable to get any closer as Radford held on for its seventh victory in its last eight outings.
♦ Behind 42.9 percent shooting, the Highlanders were able to outscore the hosts 37-25 during the final 20 minutes of action. Connecting on 5-of-7 from the hardwood, Hamilton netted 12 of her 14 points in the second stanza. Reeling in a game-high 10 rebounds, Hamilton recorded her second double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
♦ Ayana Avery scorched the nets for a game-high 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Da'Naria Erwin Spencer dropped in 11.
♦ Despite the hosts shooting 42.6 percent for the game, Radford (37 percent) was able to create a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points and a 27-13 favor in bench points.

LAST MEETING WITH COASTAL CAROLINA

♦ For the fourth time this season, Radford women's basketball held its opponent to 50 points or less as the Highlanders claimed a 68-50 decision in Big South action inside the Dedmon Center on a snowy Thursday afternoon.
♦ Ashley Buckhannon led four Highlanders in double figures with a game-high 22 on 7-of-15 shooting. Diani Mason and Victoria Hamilton contributed 11 points each, while Sarah Tabb chalked up 10 points and 10 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season and second of her career. Hamilton also dished out a career-high-tying six assists.
♦ Alexx Puckett's 16 points led the Chants, while Angelica Henry added 13 points and Katelyn Connor tallied 10.
♦ Radford forced the issue early on, leading 23-13 with 9:24 remaining in the opening stanza. However, the Highlanders failed to connect on a shot for nearly six minutes, while the visitors were able to trim the margin to four (23-19) at the 4:25 mark.
Mason had an answer as the freshman guard completed a three-point play to spark an 8-1 run, which gave RU a 31-20 lead at intermission.
♦ Nearly four minutes into the second stanza, Coastal Carolina was able to close the gap to seven (35-28). From there, it was all Radford. Using a 16-4 streak, the Highlanders established a 51-32 advantage and never looked back.
♦ Improving upon its first half performance, Radford finished with a 41.9 percent clip in the final frame and a 36.9 percent rating for the game. For the second straight outing, the Highlanders held their opponent under 40 percent from the floor as the Chanticleers only managed 36.2 percent.

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