TRIP TO LONGWOOD UP NEXT FOR WOMEN’S HOOPS

GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | @RUGameDay

RADFORD, Va. – Looking to snap a three-game skid, Radford will attempt to get back in the win column when the Highlanders travel to Farmville, Va. to battle Longwood at 7:00 p.m. inside Willett Hall.

MEET THE LANCERS

♦ Longwood has suffered six straight losses, including back-to-back home setbacks to High Point and Liberty.
♦ Crystal Smith (14.8) leads three Lancers in double-digit scoring. Her average ranks fifth in the Big South Conference. Chelsea Coward and Daeisha Brown provide the other double-figure performers at 14.4 and 13.5 points per game, respectively.
♦ Coward also leads LU in rebounding at eight caroms per outing.
♦ The Lancers enter Saturday's tilt averaging 64.6 points per contest (fifth-best in the league), while giving up 72.7 points per outing to their opponents (last in the Big South).
♦ While its offense carries a 36.7 percent shooting clip, Longwood's defense holds its opposition to an average of 41.8 percent from the hardwood.
♦ The Lancers are a threat from beyond the arc, leading the league with an average of 6.4 3-pointers made per game.

HIGHLANDER HAPPENINGS

♦ Radford is led by Ashley Buckhannon in the scoring column at 12.5 per contest (11th-best in conference), while Victoria Hamilton crashes the boards for a team-best eight rebounds per outing (ranks fifth in the league). Buckhannon (2.55) and Hamilton (2.27) rank second and seventh, respectively, in the Big South in steals. Buckhannon became the 20th member of Radford women's basketball's 1,000-point club against Campbell last Thursday.
♦ The Highlanders are efficient with their trips to the charity stripe, converting 71.9 percent of their attempts, which ranks third in the Big South.
♦ At 11.36 steals per game, Radford ranks second in the league, while topping the Big South in turnover margin (+2.9).

SERIES HISTORY

♦ Despite leading the all-time series 17-11, Radford has dropped three straight decisions to the Lancers. Of the last 10 meetings between the in-state rivals, the Highlanders have yet to win inside Willett Hall.

WHAT'S NEXT

♦ After its battle with Longwood, RU heads west on Route 460 to Lynchburg to clash with the Liberty Lady Flames, Saturday, Feb. 16 at 3:00 p.m. inside the Vines Center.

LAST TIME OUT

♦ Radford was able to erase a 10-point second-half deficit, but High Point converted its free throws in the closing minutes to escape with a 65-57 victory in Big South women's basketball action inside the Dedmon Center Saturday evening.
♦ Scoring 10 of her game-high 20 points in the first half, Ashley Buckhannon was 3-of-6 from deep and added a season-high seven assists for the Highlanders (12-10, 7-6 Big South). Joining her backcourt mate in double figures was Da'Naria Erwin Spencer with 10 points.
♦ In addition to shooting 38.6 percent (22-of-57) for the game, High Point (14-9, 8-4 Big South) hit 68.8 percent of its freebies, including 83.3 percent in the critical second stanza. Four Panthers finished in double digits, led by Tayler Tremblay's 16.
♦ Cheyenne Parker posted her second straight 20-rebound performance to go along with 14 points. Lexi Patterson and Lindsay Puckett chalked up 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the visitors.
♦ Falling behind 9-5 in the beginning stages of the game, an Erwin Spencer pull-up jumper sparked a 9-0 streak to vault Radford on top, 14-9 with 11:05 remaining in the first frame. Responding with a 7-0 surge, High Point reclaimed the lead (16-14) at the 7:25 mark. The lead changed four times from there until break as the Panthers captured a 27-25 edge at intermission.
♦ Trailing 34-29, Victoria Hamilton converted an and-one and Ayana Avery drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Highlanders in front once more at the 16:15 mark.
♦ Answering with an 11-0 run, High Point surged ahead 45-35 with 12:49 to go. RU began chipping away at its deficit and eventually came all the way back to tie the score at 57 following two Sarah Tabb free throws with three minutes showing on the clock.

LAST MEETING WITH LONGWOOD

♦ Longwood used a 22-2 run spanning over eight minutes in the second stanza to build a double-digit lead late in the game and was able to hold off Radford down the stretch as the Highlanders fell, 57-49, to the Lancers in Big South women's basketball action inside the Dedmon Center Saturday evening.
♦ Ashley Buckhannon contributed a game-high 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting. It was the second time this season Buckhannon broke the 20-point plateau. Jordynn Gaymon finished with six points and a team-high eight boards. Radford (5-6, 0-2 Big South) shot 29.6 percent from the hardwood, but managed to connect on 76.5 percent (13-17) from the charity stripe.
♦ Chelsea Coward paced the Lancers (4-8, 1-0 Big South) with 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds. Daeisha Brown joined Coward in double figures with 18 points and 10 caroms. Longwood's victory marked the first Division I conference win in program history.
♦ After Radford established a 32-26 lead just five minutes into the second half, the visitors' defense clamped down. The Highlanders' only field goal over the next eight minutes and change was a tip-in from Kiera McIvor, which allowed Longwood to put together a 22-2 rally to claim its largest advantage of the contest at 48-36 with 6:45 left.
♦ A Coward layup with 30 seconds remaining gave the Lancers a 53-43 advantage. On RU's ensuing possession, Buckhannon was fouled shooting a trey. The Wytheville, Va. native went to the line and converted all three.
♦ Buckhannon canned a triple to bring Radford to within 53-49 on the next possession, but this was as close as the hosts could get as Longwood connected on four free throws in the waning seconds.

Print Friendly Version