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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Avery-20150113-1
47
Winthrop WUW 8-8, 4-3 BSC
55
Winner Radford RAD 8-8, 5-2 BSC
Winthrop WUW
8-8, 4-3 BSC
47
Final
55
Radford RAD
8-8, 5-2 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Winthrop WUW 27 20 47
Radford RAD 28 27 55

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

RADFORD TOPPLES DEFENDING BIG SOUTH CHAMPION, 55-47



RADFORD, Va. – Not only did Radford have an opportunity to defeat the defending Big South women's basketball tournament champion Tuesday night, but the Highlanders also had a chance to extend their four-game winning streak. Both came to fruition, as RU knocked off Winthrop, 55-47, in a defensive affair inside the Dedmon Center.
 
Radford, which won its fifth straight game for the first time since Jan. 2013, improves to 8-8 overall and 5-2 in Big South play. The Eagles drop to 8-8 on the season, including a 4-3 mark in conference action. RU and Campbell remain tied for third place in the league standings following Tuesday's slate of games.
 
"This was an intense conference ballgame," head coach Mike McGuire noted after his team won for the fourth time in eight days. "Both teams struggled to get into a rhythm. You could tell both teams were serious about trying to win this game. I think both teams were attentive to the defensive game plan and how they wanted to guard, which made it very hard for either team to score. That's the way conference games should be in my opinion—teams trying to compete at a high level and positioning themselves to be playing their best basketball in March."
 
Defense has been the cornerstone of the Highlanders' five-game win streak. During this stretch, Radford has not allowed an opponent to shoot over 40 percent. Additionally, the Highlanders are holding opponents to 50.6 points per game, which includes Winthrop's 47 points Tuesday night. Not even nonconference foes Tennessee, Auburn or Ohio State could hold the Eagles below that output.
 
"This team continues to get better with game planning and focusing on the opposing players' strengths," McGuire stated. "Our coaching staff is seeing a lot of games where we are improving in those areas. I believe this is why we are seeing a drastic improvement on the defensive end over the last couple weeks."
 
Winthrop was held to an abysmal 28.4 percent shooting, its lowest against a Big South opponent this season. The Eagles entered the game averaging 69.3 points per contest in conference play. Winthrop, which ranked second among Big South teams in 3-point field goal percentage (.316) before tipoff, only hit 1-of-7 from deep.
 
Meanwhile, the Highlanders were dialed in from beyond the arc. Radford, which is the Big South leader in 3-point shooting, knocked down 6-of-13 (46.2 percent). The hosts were 5-for-8 in the opening stanza.
 
Ayana Avery drilled three of the Highlanders' 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 13 points. Aisha Foy reached double digits for the third straight game with 12 points, which included a 2-for-2 effort from 3-point land.
 
Despite battling foul trouble all game, reigning Big South Freshman of the Week Janayla White racked up 11 points and nine rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. She scored Radford's opening five points of the game before picking up her second foul with 17:08 to go in the first half.
 
Although the Highlanders were able to slow down Winthrop overall, they were unable to keep Schaquilla Nunn in check. The 6-foot-3 post player erupted for 24 points and 16 rebounds (one shy of her career high) for her seventh double-double of the season. She was the lone double-figure scorer for the Eagles. Behind Nunn's performance, Winthrop outrebounded RU, 46-42.
 
Erica Williams, who entered the game as the Big South leader in scoring in conference games (20.7), was limited to a season-low five points.
 
Up next for the Highlanders is a trip to Buies Creek, N.C., for Saturday's 1 p.m. showdown with Campbell inside Gore Arena. The game will be the first of at least two ESPN3 broadcasts for Radford this season.

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