FAMILIAR FOE AWAITS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IN QUARTERFINALS

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Only eight days removed from their last encounter, Radford and Presbyterian College are set to meet for the third time this season when they collide in the quarterfinals of the 2013 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Women's Basketball Tournament Friday afternoon at The HTC Center.

MEET THE BLUE HOSE

♦ Only allowing 56.4 points per game, PC ranks second in the Big South. The squad knocks down 43.7 percent of its shots, which is the best mark in the league.
♦ The Blue Hose are sharp from behind the arc, carrying a 38.5 percent rate from long range (tops in Big South).
♦ Offensively, PC averages 55.1 points an outing (10th-best in league), while hauling in 33.6 caroms a game (ranks 11th in Big South).
♦ All-Big South Second Team selection Mariah Pietrowski averages 11.7 points per contest (13th in league scoring) to lead her squad in the scoring column. Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year Karlee Taylor (11.3) and Dria David (11.0) also reach double digits.
♦ Pietrowski leads the rebounding effort at 6.0 caroms each time out, while ranking first in the Big South in field-goal percentage (56.8) and first in free-throw percentage (86.2).
♦ Taylor leads the league in 3-point percentage (48.5) and is second in 3-pointers made a game (2.9).

HIGHLANDER HAPPENINGS

♦ Radford is led by Ashley Buckhannon in the scoring column at 13.2 per contest (10th-best in conference), while Victoria Hamilton crashes the boards for a team-best eight rebounds per outing (ranks sixth in the league). Buckhannon (2.8) and Hamilton (2.1) rank second and 12th, respectively, in the Big South in steals. Buckhannon became the 20th member of Radford women's basketball's 1,000-point club against Campbell on Feb. 7.
♦ At 11 steals per game, Radford ranks second in the league, in addition to ranking second in turnover margin (+2.68).

SERIES HISTORY

♦ Despite leading the all-time series 11-2, RU has allowed the Blue Hose to win two of the previous three meetings. In those contests, the Highlanders have failed to reach the 50-point plateau. Friday's game marks as the first meeting between the two squads in postseason play.

WHAT'S NEXT

♦ The winner between Radford and PC will move on to the semifinals to face the winner between second-seeded Winthrop and seventh-seeded Longwood at 6:00 p.m. Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT

♦ Continuing its defensive intensity from last game, Radford converted 25 turnovers into 25 points en route to the 56-39 triumph over UNC Asheville in the first round of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Women's Basketball Tournament Wednesday afternoon inside The HTC Center.
♦ Improving to 15-13 on the season, the Highlanders advance to Friday's quarterfinal round where Presbyterian College will be waiting. The Bulldogs end their season at 2-28.
♦ Freshman Diani Mason made a big splash in her tournament debut, dropping in a career-high-tying 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with three steals. Joining the Queens, N.Y. native in double figures was Sarah Tabb with 12 points. Mason and Tabb combined to go 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
♦ Behind nine rebounds apiece from Ashia Holmes (career-high) and Tabb, Radford won the battle of the boards (43-35). In addition to their rebounding edge, the Highlanders had the higher shooting percentage (37.1-26.2), scored more points in the paint (32-12) and had more bench production (18-6).
Jeannie Buckner, Gentry Manley and Grace Blaylock all chalked up eight points for UNCA. Buckner was credited with a game-high four steals, while Manley pulled down a team-best eight boards.
♦ Connecting on four of its first six shots, Radford raced out to an 11-2 lead. Blaylock's scoop shot in the lane at the 13:05 mark allowed the Bulldogs to cut their deficit to 13-9, but that was as close as they could get as the Highlanders built a 32-21 advantage at intermission.
♦ Forcing its opponent into 12 miscues in the opening frame, RU held a 17-4 favor in points off turnovers. The Highlanders were able to dictate the tempo of the first 20 minutes as well, cashing in nine fast-break points.
♦ Radford stretched its lead to as many as 15 in the early going of the second stanza following a Breshara Gordon layup with 17:32 showing on the clock. The Bulldogs refused to go away, however, eventually pulling to within 46-39 at the 2:37 mark.
♦ RU answered in a big way, scoring the final 10 points of the game to record its fourth straight win over UNC Asheville.
♦ The quarterfinal between the Highlanders and the Blue Hose tips at 2:00 p.m. Friday from The HTC Center in Conway, S.C.

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES

♦ Ashley Buckhannon, a senior guard for Radford women's basketball, was selected to the All-Big South Second Team as announced by the conference office Monday. It was Buckhannon's first Big South postseason honor.
♦ The Wytheville, Va. native led the Highlanders in scoring at 13.3 points per game, which ranks 10th in the league. In addition to her scoring average, Buckhannon finished prominently in the Big South player rankings: 10th in assists per game (3.26), second in steals per game (2.81), seventh in 3-point field-goal percentage (.302), seventh in 3-pointers per game (1.81) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.22).
♦ Her brilliant season allowed the sports medicine major to ascend into the program's record books. In addition to becoming the 20th member of the 1,000-point club at Radford, Buckhannon ranks ninth in assists (257), sixth in steals (215) and third in 3-pointers made (156). Appearing in 108 contests with 62 starts, the senior chalked up 1,119 points, which is 15th all-time in program history.
♦ Along with Buckhannon's postseason honors, fellow senior Katherine Brockett was named to the Big South all-academic team.

LAST MEETING WITH PC

♦ Although Radford forced 21 Presbyterian College miscues, the Blue Hose shot 57.1 percent to prevail 57-40 over the Highlanders in Big South women's basketball action Thursday night from the Dedmon Center.
♦ Ashley Buckhannon took game-high honors with 15 points, including a 5-of-6 line from the charity stripe. Sarah Tabb joined her fellow senior in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the hardwood. Despite Radford being held to 29.6 percent from the floor, the squad converted 72.7 percent of its free-throw attempts.
♦ Mariah Pietrowski was two rebounds shy of a double-double as the senior chalked up 14 points and eight rebounds for Presbyterian. Dria David and Karlee Taylor poured in 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Shonda Burnside chipped in nine points and a game-high six assists.
♦ Behind Pietrowski's 10 first-half points, Presbyterian claimed a 30-16 lead at the break. A Jordynn Gaymon jumper at the 12:10 mark put the Highlanders on top, 8-7. However, the Blue Hose outscored RU 23-8 the rest of the frame to erase its one-point deficit.
♦ Back-to-back jumpers by Tabb and Ashia Holmes cut it to 33-20 with 16:54 to go. From there, the Blue Hose used a 14-1 streak to cushion the lead to 47-21 at the midway point of the second stanza.
♦ Radford failed to mount a rally in the final 10 minutes of the game as Presbyterian remained in a tie for second place with Winthrop in the Big South standings entering Saturday.
♦ In addition to a 10-4 favor in second-chance points, Radford converted 10 steals into a 13-12 edge in points off turnovers.

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