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Radford University Athletics

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Big South Sports Photos
70
Winner Gardner-Webb GWU 15-16
56
Radford RAD 17-13
Winner
Gardner-Webb GWU
15-16
70
Final
56
Radford RAD
17-13
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gardner-Webb GWU 33 37 70
Radford RAD 19 37 56

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

FREE THROWS, 3-POINTERS PROPEL GARDNER-WEBB TO 70-56 UPSET OF RADFORD



CONWAY, S.C. – Seventh-seeded Gardner-Webb (15-16) used a barrage of 3-pointers Thursday evening to upset second-seeded Radford (17-13), 70-56, in the quarterfinals of the 2015 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Women's Basketball Championship.
 
Once ahead by 22 points, the Runnin' Bulldogs had to hold off a furious Highlander rally by sealing the game at the free-throw line down the stretch.
 
Gardner-Webb scored 18 straight points from behind the 3-point line over the final 8:23 of the first half to turn a 15-15 tie into a 33-19 halftime lead. The Runnin' Bulldogs hit their first six attempts from beyond the arc and were 6 of 7 in the opening half. Four different players hit treys for GWU, including the final one of the half by Jessica Heilig, who had 11 of her game-high 18 points in the first 20 minutes. The Runnin' Bulldogs hit 9 of 14 from deep in the game, while Radford was just 3 of 18.

"Obviously, this was a tough night for us," head coach Mike McGuire stated. "You have to credit Gardner-Webb. They were terrific tonight and shot the ball extremely well from the 3-point line. We knew coming in that the foul line would be a big factor. They scored 50 points in those two areas."

Heilig led three players in double figures for the victors. Candace Brown added 14, and Olivia Parker recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Radford got back into the game behind a 14-0 run midway through the second half. Igniting the rally were two breakaway steals by Gaby Gilmore and back-to-back 3-pointers from Aisha Foy. The Highlanders cut the lead to six on two separate occasions, the last coming with 6:04 to play on a jumper by Ayana Avery. The six-point margin was as close as they could get.
 
Gardner-Webb answered with a 9-0 run to again put the game at a comfortable 15-point margin with 3:48 to play. GWU scored its final nine points from the charity stripe to ice the contest. The Runnin' Bulldogs outscored RU, 23-3, at the free-throw line. Gardner-Webb was 23 of 31 at the line, while Radford hit 3 of 9.
 
Foy led the Highlanders with 13 points and six rebounds. Avery chipped in with 11, while classmate Jordynn Gaymon added eight points, a team-high 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Gaymon became the 18th Highlander to record 500 rebounds in a career. Gilmore finished with eight points on 4 of 6 shooting.
 
Radford dominated the paint with a 38-16 scoring advantage and scored six more field goals than the Runnin' Bulldogs, but the Highlanders could not overcome the difference behind the arc and at the free-throw line.

"This group has been really good," McGuire offered. "They showed a lot of heart this year. They exceeded a lot of expectations. I think we hit rock bottom right before Christmas. When [our team] came back after Christmas, there was a different look in their eyes. We started to play better. Everything we had to do was new on both sides of the ball from last year, and we had more newcomers than veterans. Once they built confidence, they became a very good basketball team to finish tied for second in the conference. I love the character and heart of this team and appreciate all they've done for this program and this school."
 
Gardner-Webb became just the seventh No. 7 seed in tournament history to reach the semifinals and the first since Longwood did it in 2013. The Runnin' Bulldogs advance to face High Point in Saturday's second semifinal at 8:00 p.m.
 
Despite the loss, RU has an opportunity to earn a postseason bid. If Liberty captures the tournament championship, the Highlanders will claim the Big South's automatic berth into the WNIT.

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