WINTHROP PULLS OFF COME-FROM-BEHIND WIN OVER HIGHLANDERS, 67-62

BOX SCORE ROCK HILL, S.C. – Despite receiving a combined 37 points from Ashley Buckhannon and Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, Radford could not hold on to its lead down the stretch as Winthrop stole a 67-62 victory Saturday afternoon in Big South women's basketball action inside Winthrop Coliseum.

Winthrop remains in second place in the team standings with an 18-10 overall mark and a 12-4 record in league play. Radford slips to 13-12 on the season, including an 8-8 ledger against conference foes.

Behind four early 3-pointers, Radford jumped out to a 15-9 advantage. The Eagles rallied, however, to reclaim the lead (24-23) after a Taylor Calvert fast-break deuce with 7:04 to go before halftime. Their lead increased to as many as five (30-25) before Winthrop carried a 32-30 edge into break.

Erwin Spencer reached double figures in the opening half of action with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Buckhannon was right behind with eight. Both guards dialed in two trifectas for Radford, which shot 44.4 percent for the half.

Scoring the first five points of the second stanza, Winthrop quickly grabbed a 37-30 lead less than a minute in. The hosts increased their favor to as many as nine (48-39) before the Highlanders made their move.

Jordynn Gaymon connected on a jumper in the paint at the 10:31 mark to initiate a 16-4 surge, capped by a Buckhannon trey, to give Radford the 55-52 lead. However, the lead would not hold as the Eagles rallied in the late stages of the game to pull off the come-from-behind win.

Buckhannon and Erwin Spencer dropped in 19 and 18 points, respectively, to lead RU in the scoring column. Buckhannon moved into 15th place on the all-time career-scoring chart with 1,081 points, passing Nan Milner and Karen Bowles. Hamilton pulled down a team-best seven boards to claim sole possession of 12th place in career rebounding at Radford with 620 caroms.

The Big South's leading scorer, Dequesha McClanahan, chalked up a game-high 22 points in addition to a game-high six assists. Freshman Schaquilla Nunn recorded her 12th double-double of the season by dialing up 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Finishing with one of its better shooting performances of the season, Radford shot 43.3 percent from the hardwood. Winthrop hit 25-of-57 for a 43.9 percent rating. The Eagles grabbed the rebounding edge (35-32) and points scored in the paint (38-24).

RU connected on seven 3-pointers in the game, the most since the squad hit nine against Norfolk State on Dec. 13. The Highlanders' defense kept them in it, however, forcing 10 steals which led to a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Radford wraps up regular-season play next week with two home contests. First up is a battle with Presbyterian College on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Highlanders claimed a 49-31 triumph at PC on Jan. 12.

Print Friendly Version