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Radford University Athletics

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49
Winner Liberty LIBERTY 6-7, 3-1 BSC
43
Radford RAD 5-7, 1-2 BSC
Winner
Liberty LIBERTY
6-7, 3-1 BSC
49
Final
43
Radford RAD
5-7, 1-2 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Liberty LIBERTY 13 6 14 16 49
Radford RAD 9 8 14 12 43

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

RIVERS’ DOUBLE-DOUBLE NOT ENOUGH IN 49-43 LOSS TO LIBERTY



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Liberty 49, Radford 43
  • Records: Liberty (6-7, 3-1 Big South) | Radford (5-7, 1-2 Big South)
  • Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Freshman forward Lydia Rivers collected her first double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds), but Radford was unable to overcome a poor free-throw shooting performance in a 49-43 Big South loss to Liberty, Saturday afternoon inside the Dedmon Center. The setback snaps the Highlanders' 13-game home winning streak.
  • Trailing 39-33 with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Radford rattled off six straight points as an Aisha Foy layup knotted the contest at 39 with 3:51 left in regulation.
  • The Highlanders' hopes of a comeback faded as the Flames outscored RU, 10-4, in the final three minutes of regulation.
  • Liberty was the first to gain separation in a tightly-contested game, taking a 17-9 lead at the 8:09 mark in the second quarter. The Flames' lead came on a 10-0 run.
  • Radford closed out the first half on an 8-2 run, going into intermission with a 19-17 deficit. Rivers paced the run with four points.
     
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Lydia Rivers finished with a season-high 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting, including a 5 for 6 clip from the charity stripe. However, her free-throw shooting was the lone bright spot for the Highlanders, who made just 14 of 26 (53.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
  • Rivers has now grabbed double-digit boards in four contests on the season with two coming in Big South play.
  • Aisha Foy rounded out the Highlanders in double-figure scoring, finishing with 10 points.
  • Foy has scored double digits in nine contests this season.
  • The Highlanders' defense held Liberty's Catherine Kearney to four points, after scoring back-to-back games of 20 and 22 points, respectively.
  • Radford shot 1 for 10 from 3-point land, their lowest mark of the season. On the other hand, the Flames torched the nets from beyond the arc, connecting on 42.9 percent (6-14) of their attempts.
  • RU and Liberty combined for 35 turnovers. The Flames scored 17 points off turnovers, while the Highlanders tallied 14 points.
  • Controlling the boards, Radford finished with a 37-28 rebounding advantage. It is the second straight season the Highlanders outrebounded Liberty inside the Dedmon Center. The Flames' 28 rebounds are a season low.
  • Mickayla Sanders paced Liberty with a game-high 21 points on 4 of 7 shooting from downtown. Sanders has now scored 56 points in her last three matchups versus the Highlanders.
  • Radford has now dropped 10 straight contests to its in-state foe from Lynchburg. The Highlanders' last home win versus Liberty came on March 3, 2007.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "Today was a tough ballgame. It felt like this game did not have much of a flow. It was more of a half-court oriented game, which played into Liberty's favor. We knew the tempo needed to be faster. We just never could get the pace we wanted to go. This is definitely a tough loss, but you have to credit Liberty. [Mickayla] Sanders made some big shots in the second half. That's what championship-level programs do when the game is not smooth, when the game is not easy. Those teams find a way to win, and that's something we have to build to [here at Radford]."~Radford head coach, Mike McGuire
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford will hit the road for a Big South matchup at Presbyterian on Monday.
  • Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Templeton Center.
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