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Radford University Athletics

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Savannah Wood

Women's Basketball

RADFORD OPENS SEASON SUNDAY AGAINST APP STATE



GAME INFORMATION  
SETTING THE STAGE
  • Radford puts its 16-game home winning streak on the line as the reigning Big South Regular Season champs will look to build off a historic 24-9 campaign from a season ago.
  • The Highlanders went 4-0 in non-conference home games during the 2016-17 season and 8-3 in non-conference regular season games.
  • Radford dropped its season opener at George Mason (70-56) last year, sparking a seven-game winning streak.
  • The last time Radford opened a season inside the Dedmon Center came on Nov. 13, 2015 in a 66-63 overtime victory against George Mason.
  • Radford is 2-2 in season openers under head coach Mike McGuire.
  • In season openers, Radford holds a 23-23 record.
 
SERIES HISTORY
  • The two teams have met 20 times in the all-time series with Appalachian State holding a slight 11-9 edge.
  • Radford took a 57-54 victory a season ago in Boone, N.C., as Destinee Walker and Jayda Worthy turned in double-double performances.
  • Walker finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Worthy finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
 
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
  • Radford returns 11 players from last year's championship squad, including all five starters.
  • The Highlanders return All-Big South first-teamers Jayda Worthy and Destinee Walker, while honorable mention honoree Janayla White is back in the paint.
  • The trio was responsible for 34.1 of Radford's 60.9 points per game during a season ago.
  • Worthy and White are on the verge of becoming the 22nd and 23rd players in Radford women's basketball history to cross the 1,000-point plateau. Worthy is currently 102 points away, while White is 177 points from the achievement.
  • White could also become the third player in program history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds as she needs only 247 for the feat.
  • Averaging 7.4 ppg off the bench a season ago, All-Freshman honoree Khiana Johnson returns for her sophomore season after leading the Highlanders with an 80.8 mark from behind the charity stripe.
  • Sharpshooter Claudia Quevedo is back after starting all 33 games, averaging 5.5 points per game and 2.1 three-pointers per contest.
  • Redshirt-sophomores Jen Falconer and Lydia Rivers round out McGuire's most experienced roster at Radford. Falconer averaged 4.1 ppg and 2.0 assists per game last year. Rivers is coming back from a knee injury that cut her season short after five games, where she averaged 4.6 ppg and 7.0 rebounds per game.
  • Junior Alexis Jackson and sophomore Charnissa Chillers provide the Highlanders with deep depth in the backcourt. Jackson has appeared in 47 games during her career, starting in six of them. Chillers brings a lockdown defensive approach to the floor after gaining valuable experience a season ago.
  • Freshmen forwards Laney Corbin and Tina Lindenfeld give the Highlanders fresh legs in the frontcourt as the duo will see early season minutes in Radford's run-and-gun approach.
  • The Big South's preseason favorite for the first time since 2007, Radford currently owns the conference's longest active home winning streak with 16 straight.
  • Radford went 13-0 at home during the 2016-17 season, marking the first time during the NCAA Division I era.
  • A season ago, Radford played in nine games decided by three points or less with five coming in the last seven games of the season. The Highlanders compiled a 7-2 record in those games, which may be due to the calm demeanor of McGuire.
  • During McGuire's tenure, Radford is 21-11 in games decided by five points or less.
  • The Highlander defense finished the 2016-17 season ranked inside the Top 15 nationally in two defensive categories. Holding opponents to a mere 55.0 points per game, Radford ranked as the 10th best defense in the country. The Highlanders ranked 11th with a 35.1 field goal percentage defense.
  • Offensively, Radford averaged 60.9 ppg a season ago, shooting 41.7 percent from the floor, which led the Big South.
  • From behind the arc, Radford finished with a 30.1 percentage, averaging 4.7 three-pointers per game.
  • A season ago, Radford exceled at building leads in the second quarter as the Highlanders outscored opponents 477-395.
 
SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE
  • The Mountaineers are coming off a 12-19 season with a 6-12 clip in Sun Belt action.
  • In road contests, Appalachian State went 5-9 with a 2-3 record in non-conference road games.
  • Head coach Angel Elderkin brings in a new-look Mountaineer squad with eight newcomers, which includes five freshmen and three transfers, two of which are eligible.
  • App State will go into the season with three returners in Kaila Craven, Armani Hampton, and Bayley Plummer. Craven missed 2016-17 but was cleared recently to resume basketball activities.
  • The Mountaineers will be without their returning leader in scoring and rebounding as senior Madi Story will miss the season with a knee injury. Story averaged 13.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg a season ago, earning All-Sun Belt honors.
  • In exhibition action, App State defeated Tusculum 78-58 on Oct. 31. Three freshmen in Tierra Wilson, LaPresha Stanley, and Maya Calder all scored in double figures including a double-double from Calder off the bench.
  • The 2016-17 season saw the Mountaineers shoot 37.4 percent from the field and a 27.0 mark from behind the arc.
  • A strong rebounding squad, Appalachian State averaged 41.3 per game.
  • The Mountaineers host Georgia Tech on Friday for their season opener.
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., on Thursday to take on North Carolina for the first time since Dec. 5, 2012.
  • In the meeting, then No. 21 North Carolina defeated the Highlanders 64-44.
  • The Tar Heels hold a 7-3 edge in the all-time series.
  • Radford looks for its second win over an Atlantic Coast Conference foe in the last two seasons.
  • The Highlanders defeated Wake Forest 68-60 on Dec. 10, 2016 for McGuire's first win over a Power 5 foe and the program's first since 2007.
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Players Mentioned

Charnissa Chillers

#25 Charnissa Chillers

G
5' 9"
Sophomore
Jen Falconer

#5 Jen Falconer

G
5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
Alexis Jackson

#23 Alexis Jackson

G
5' 9"
Junior
Khiana Johnson

#4 Khiana Johnson

G
5' 7"
Sophomore
Claudia Quevedo

#11 Claudia Quevedo

G
5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Lydia Rivers

#20 Lydia Rivers

F
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Destinee Walker

#10 Destinee Walker

G/F
5' 11"
Junior
Janayla White

#21 Janayla White

F
6' 2"
Senior
Jayda Worthy

#22 Jayda Worthy

F
6' 0"
Senior
Tina Lindenfeld

#24 Tina Lindenfeld

F
6' 1"
Freshman
Laney Corbin

#42 Laney Corbin

F
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Charnissa Chillers

#25 Charnissa Chillers

5' 9"
Sophomore
G
Jen Falconer

#5 Jen Falconer

5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Alexis Jackson

#23 Alexis Jackson

5' 9"
Junior
G
Khiana Johnson

#4 Khiana Johnson

5' 7"
Sophomore
G
Claudia Quevedo

#11 Claudia Quevedo

5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
G
Lydia Rivers

#20 Lydia Rivers

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
F
Destinee Walker

#10 Destinee Walker

5' 11"
Junior
G/F
Janayla White

#21 Janayla White

6' 2"
Senior
F
Jayda Worthy

#22 Jayda Worthy

6' 0"
Senior
F
Tina Lindenfeld

#24 Tina Lindenfeld

6' 1"
Freshman
F
Laney Corbin

#42 Laney Corbin

6' 0"
Freshman
F