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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Walker-20161204
Tim Cowie
57
Winner Radford RAD 5-1
54
Appalachian State APP 4-4
Winner
Radford RAD
5-1
57
Final
54
Appalachian State APP
4-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Radford RAD 13 10 18 16 57
Appalachian State APP 10 11 13 20 54

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

WALKER POSTS THIRD STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN WIN OVER APP STATE



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 57, Appalachian State 54
  • Records: Highlanders (5-1) |Mountaineers (4-4)
  • Location: Holmes Center | Boone, N.C.  
 
BOONE, N.C. – Destinee Walker put the Highlanders on her back in the fourth quarter as the sophomore forward scored nine points, including seven in the final 51 seconds as Radford held on for its fifth consecutive victory with a 57-54 decision over Appalachian State, Sunday afternoon in the Holmes Center.
 
Walker finished with her third straight double-double, tallying 22 points and 11 rebounds. The double-double is the third on the season for the Florence, S.C., native.
 
Radford's fifth win in a row improves the Highlanders to 5-1 on the season, the first time since the 1985-86 season when Radford started the season 7-1.  
 
After three quarters, Radford commanded a seven-point lead (41-34), but the momentum leaned in favor of Appalachian State. The Mountaineers scored the first six points of the fourth quarter as two free throws and a layup from Madi Story cut the Highlander lead to 41-40 with 7:08 remaining in regulation.
 
A Jayda Worthy free throw ended the Appalachian State run, while Worthy found Nunley one possession later for an easy layup, building the lead to 44-40.  Nunley later hit the front end of two free throws to give the Highlanders a four-point swing (45-40) at the 5:32 mark.
 
The final 3:43 of regulation turned into the Q. Murray and Walker show as the two put on an offensive showcase in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Murray scored all 11 of her points during the span, while Walker turned in nine of her 16 second half points.
 
Murray's first points of the contest came on a 3-pointer at the 3:43 mark to pull the Mountaineers within 45-44. Thirty seconds later, Walker followed with a layup to build the lead back to three points. For the second consecutive possession, Murray knocked down another 3-pointer, this time to knot the game at 47 with 2:58 remaining.
 
The two squads then committed a turnover each over the next 1:04, before Murray was sent to the line after drawing a foul on a layup attempt at the 1:54 mark. Murray sunk both free throws, giving Appalachian State its first lead of the contest at 49-47.
 
Following a Jen Falconer missed 3-pointer, Radford's defense forced a tough shot from Ashley Bassett-Smith. Falconer quickly grabbed the long rebound, pushing the ball ahead to Claudia Quevedo.
 
Quevedo found Walker on the right wing off a dribble-drive. With no Mountaineer defenders in sight, Walker brought the Radford bench to its feet as she drained the wide-open 3-pointer as the Highlanders regained the lead 50-49 with 48.1 ticks remaining.
 
On the next Appalachian State possession, Murray attempted to give the Mountaineers the lead once again, but her jumper rimmed out. Walker corralled the rebound, raced coast-to-coast, finishing off the rebound with a basket and foul. Walker's free throw gave the Highlanders a four-point lead.
 
Walker was fouled after grabbing a Joi Jones miss, making one of two free throws. The made free throw proved to be key as Murray drained her third 3-pointer of the quarter to inch Appalachian State within 54-52 with just under 20 seconds remaining.
 
Two free throws by Worthy and one by Falconer down the stretch handed Radford a 57-54 lead with 9.8 seconds remaining. Appalachian State hoped for a little more magic out of Murray, but the redshirt sophomores game-tying 3-pointer was no good as Radford held on for a thrilling 57-54 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • With the win, Radford has won three in a row over Appalachian State inside the Holmes Center.
  • Destinee Walker finished with a game-high 22 points on 9 of 16 performance from the field. The nine made field goals are also a career best.
  • Walker finished with 11 rebounds, giving her a double-double in three straight games.
  • During the three-game span, Walker has scored 58 points and grabbed 34 rebounds.
  • Walker has now scored double-figures in all six games. The Highlander to start the season with double-figures in the first six games was Da'Naria Erwin Spencer in 2011-12. Erwin Spencer started the season with nine games of double-digit scoring.
  • Joining Walker with a double-double, Jayda Worthy finish with 14 points and 11 rebounds for her first on the season and seventh career.
  • Worthy finished with four assists and three steals to lead the Highlanders.
  • The last time Radford has two players with double-doubles came on Feb. 13, 2016.
  • Walker and Worthy combined for 36 of Radford's 57 points.
  • Sydney Nunley finished with a game and career-high 13 rebounds. The sophomore grabbed nine of the boards in the first half with six coming in the first quarter.
  • Radford dominated the paint, finishing with a 30-16 advantage.
  • Radford's defense forced 15 turnovers, scoring 14 points off of them.
  • The Highlanders led for 35:23, while the Mountaineers controlled the lead for 1:03. The game was tied for 3:20.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "What a great weekend for our program, especially early in the season. I thought our team handled this weekend trip with a lot of focus and discipline, with the motivation to improve. I'm incredibly proud of how we played today and how we battled at the end.  We knew Appalachian State was a strong fourth quarter team and they would make a strong push. We made enough plays to survive and get another road win." ~ Radford head coach Mike McGuire
UP NEXT
  • Radford will host Western Carolina on Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. for their annual Education Day game.
  • The two squads are meeting for the first time since Radford's 76-74 win over the Catamounts on Dec. 9, 2005.
  • The Highlanders hold a 6-4 edge in the all-time series.
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