JOHNSON SCORES CAREER HIGH; RADFORD ROLLS 60-41 OVER TTU

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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore guard Khiana Johnson made the most of her first collegiate start as she poured in a career-high 18 points as Radford cruised to a 60-41 victory over Tennessee Tech in the third all-time meeting between the two foes.

Johnson tallied 11 of her 18 points in the second half, surpassing her previous career best of 15 against Western Carolina on Dec. 8, 2016. In the game, Johnson's 18 points came on 9 of 13 shooting from the floor. Following Johnson's 18-point performance, Destinee Walker finished with 16 points off the bench, building Radford's first half lead with 12 points in the first 20 minutes.

The double-digit performance was the second on the season for Johnson and the 15^th of her career. Walker now has 29 career double-figure games with two on the year.

Rounding out the Highlanders' scoring, Janayla White finished with nine points and Jayda Worthy chipped in seven points.

Coming off the bench midway through the first quarter, Walker knocked down a jumper and followed with a layup to spark a 6-0 run as Radford (2-1) pushed its opening quarter lead to 14-8 with 2:18 remaining.

The second quarter saw Radford take an eight-point lead as Johnson found Worthy at the free throw line, who made the extra pass to a wide-open Jen Falconer for a corner pocket 3-pointer to make the score 20-12 midway through the quarter.

Walker poured in eight of her 12 first-half points in the second quarter as the junior scored eight straight points for the Highlanders, extending the first half lead to 30-19.

Followed by seven points from Johnson, Radford went into the locker room with a 32-21 lead. Seven would be the number of points Johnson would score in the third quarter too as Radford pulled away from Tennessee Tech (1-3).

Johnson tallied the first five points of the quarter and seven of Radford's first 11 points. Starting the quarter off with a layup, Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner at the 7:50 mark off a Worthy steal that led to a fast break pass from Falconer.

Radford flexed its muscles in the third quarter as its defense held the Golden Eagles to six points, while the Highlanders pulled down 15 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.

The Highlanders pulled away in the quarter, ending on an 8-2 run, sparked by Laney Corbin's first collegiate field goal on a nice feed to the post from Worthy at the 6:01 mark as Radford outscored Tennessee Tech 15-6 in the third frame.

Not going down without a fight, Tennessee Tech outscored Radford 11-4 five minutes into the final quarter, cutting Radford's lead to 13 (45-32) with 4:37 remaining.

An ole fashion three-point play by White brought the Radford bench to its feet as the Highlanders outscored the Golden Eagles 10-3 down the stretch, securing its second win in the all-time series with a 61-40 win.

QUOTABLE
"I was curious to see how Khiana would handle her first start, she said she was a little nervous. I thought how she performed tonight was very impressive. A lot of people will look at the point totals, but we made a defensive change in the second half, putting her on Tennessee Tech's point guard. That really changed their offensive tempo. I am just as happy with her in that adjustment as her on offense." ~ Radford head coach Mike McGuire

UP NEXT

Radford will return to action on Nov. 28, taking eight days off for Thanksgiving break.
The break will be well deserved as the Highlanders will play seven games in the month of December, before opening Big South play.
The Highlanders will host UNC Greensboro in their annual Education Day game, slated for 11 a.m.
The matchup will be the third game of the season against a foe from the Tar Heel State.
A season ago, Radford used a dominating first half in a 70-54 win over the Spartans.
Destinee Walker paced four Highlanders in double-figures with 20 points on an 8 for 12 performance from the floor. Walker also grabbed 10 rebounds. Sydney Nunley chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
In the all-time series, UNC Greensboro holds a slight 11-8 edge.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Jen Falconer: G; 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore

#4 Khiana Johnson: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#50 Sydney Nunley: C; 6' 4"; Junior

#10 Destinee Walker: G/F; 5' 11"; Junior

#21 Janayla White: F; 6' 2"; Senior

#22 Jayda Worthy: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#42 Laney Corbin: F; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#5 Jen Falconer
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#4 Khiana Johnson
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#50 Sydney Nunley
: 6' 4"; Junior
: C

#10 Destinee Walker
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G/F

#21 Janayla White
: 6' 2"; Senior
: F

#22 Jayda Worthy
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#42 Laney Corbin
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F