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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
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58
High Point HPU 12-7, 8-2 BSC
61
Winner Radford RAD 10-9, 7-3 BSC
High Point HPU
12-7, 8-2 BSC
58
Final
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Radford RAD
10-9, 7-3 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
High Point HPU 24 34 58
Radford RAD 32 29 61

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

AVERY’S GAME-WINNER LIFTS HIGHLANDERS TO 61-58 VICTORY OVER HIGH POINT



RADFORD, Va. – Passion. Energy. Enthusiasm. Determination. Unity. Those were the traits helping the Radford women's basketball team jump out to a 12-point lead in the first half. Those were also the traits holding the Highlanders together when High Point responded in the second half.
 
The end result? Senior guard Ayana Avery stepped up and drilled her fourth game-winning 3-pointer of her career with 30 seconds left to lift Radford (10-9, 7-3 Big South) to a 61-58 triumph over the Panthers (12-7, 8-2 Big South) Saturday afternoon inside the Dedmon Center.
 
"This was a hard-fought game by both teams," head coach Mike McGuire offered after his team's seventh win in the past eight games. "Both teams were here to compete, and that's what a high-level conference game should be about. This team seems to like close games, and Ayana likes the big shot. This was just a gutsy performance by our team. We continue to fight, we continue to find ways to win, and that is all we can ask of this team. This was a very good win for us against a very talented and well-coached team."
 
High Point entered the game on a five-game winning streak and had climbed into a tie for first place in the Big South standings. During this stretch, the Panthers had not allowed an opponent to score more than 59 points. Both streaks ended Saturday as RU shot 40.8 percent and withstood each of High Point's second-half surges.
 
Trailing 11-6 after the opening 6:41 of action, the Highlanders erupted on a 21-4 run to claim a 27-15 advantage with 4:18 remaining in the opening stanza. Radford went into the break ahead, 32-24.
 
The Panthers immediately responded out of intermission, closing the gap to 34-32 with 15:59 showing on the clock. However, RU answered with a run of its own to go up 11 (49-38) with 12:22 to go.
 
Like their previous three games, the Highlanders had to withstand a rally by the opposition. HPU eventually tied the game at 54 with 4:35 showing on the clock. The score was tied on one more occasion (58-58) with 49 seconds left—setting up Avery's game-winning heroics.
 
Out of a Radford timeout, Avery came off a screen on the left wing and hoisted the game-winner—her third of the season—off an assist from Claudia Quevedo.
 
"We talked about [the play] in the huddle—about which direction we wanted to go," McGuire recalled. "Ayana has been comfortable in late-game situations, and she delivered again today. I have to credit Coach [Britney] Anderson on the call out of the timeout. She said, 'Ayana is the one who likes this moment,' so we decided to go with one of our set plays for her. You don't see many players that like that moment, let alone execute in that moment."
 
With the win, the Highlanders conclude the first half of the Big South slate with a 7-3 record. They surged into the No. 3 position in the league standings following Liberty's 64-40 triumph over Campbell, Saturday afternoon.
 
"We are continuing to push ourselves each practice to improve as a team," McGuire stated. "It's exciting to watch the progress our team has made since Christmas. As we move into the second half of conference play, I anticipate a lot more games like this. Now, we just need to focus on getting better day-by-day so we will be playing our best basketball in March."
 
Avery and Aisha Foy dialed up 15 and 14 points, respectively, to head the Highlanders' offense. RU outrebounded the Panthers, 41-38, and shot a blistering 53.8 percent (7-13) from 3-point land.
 
Stacia Robertson and Kaylah Keys led High Point with 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Panthers only shot 31.1 percent, which was below their 42.8 percent average entering the game.
 
Radford remains at home for Tuesday's Big South battle with Gardner-Webb. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Dedmon Center.

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