RADFORD SET FOR LAS VEGAS HOLIDAY HOOPS CLASSIC

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GAME INFORMATION

Opponent: Abilene Christian (Thursday) / Towson (Friday)
Date: December 21-22
Time: 12:00 p.m. PST/3:00 p.m. EST
Location: South Point Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.
Thursday Live Stats
Friday Live Stats
Live Video
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SETTING THE STAGE

Radford makes its first trip to the Silver State and will play in its first in-season tournament or classic in five years.
The Highlanders are participating in the Las Vegas Holidays Hoops Classic hosted by Sport Tours International inside the South Point Hotel and Casino.
Participating in the tournament is Towson, Old Dominion, Abilene Christian, Oakland and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The last time Radford played in an in-season tournament came Nov. 23-24, 2012 in the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament. The Highlanders played Southern Illinois and Miami.
Radford holds a 29-53 all-time record in games apart of in-season tournaments and classics.

SERIES HISTORY

Radford and Abilene Christian will meet for the first time in program history. The two teams made the WNIT a season ago.
Former Big South foes, Radford and Towson will meet for the first time since Nov. 25, 2008. The Tigers took a 59-53 victory on their home floor.
The two teams met in non-conference games in 2007 and 2008 with Towson collecting both wins.
Radford's last win over Towson came in the 1995 Big South Tournament semifinals with a 90-73 victory on March 10.
Towson leads the all-time series 7-2.

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Returning to action for the first time in six days after taking a week off for exams, Radford traveled to Charleston, W. Va. for a netural site battle with No. 10/11 West Virginia. The Highlanders went 11 for 27 from behind the arc in a 75-55 loss to the Mountaineers on Dec. 16.
Making 10-plus 3-pointers for the second straight game, Radford is 21 for 47 over the last eight quarters, increasing the three-point field-goal percentage to 27.1 on the season.
Radford was 21 for 108 from downtown, before going 21 for 47 over the last two games.
The Highlanders placed two players in double-figures as Khiana Johnson finished with 17 points on 4 of 8 shooting from behind the arc. Johnson has now led the Highlanders in scoring three times on the season. Jayda Worthy chipped in with 11 points.
Of Radford's 17 made field goals, 14 were assisted on.
Over the last two games, Radford has assisted on 34 of 46 made field goals.
On the other side of the ball, Radford's defense has forced 18-plus turnovers in six of eight games on the season, including a combined 58 over the last three games for 142 forced on the season.
Forcing 17.8 turnovers per game, Radford is averaging 13.2 points per game off opponent miscues.
The Highlander defense is limiting opposing teams to only 57.1 ppg, ranking 42^nd nationally.
Moving their feet on defense, the Highlanders have only committed 110 fouls, which tops the nation, while committing only 13.8 per game.
Radford ranks 52^nd in the country with a three-point field-goal percentage
Posing a dominating threat in the paint on defense, sophomore Lydia Rivers and senior Janayla White have led Radford's defense to ranking 16^th in the nation in blocked shots per game with 5.9 per game.
Totaling 47 as a team, Rivers leads the team with 18 and White follows with 10. Nationally, Rivers ranks 36^th with 2.3 per game.
Offensively, Khiana Johnson leads the squad with 12.1 per game, scoring double-figures in six games, giving her 18 in her career.
Junior Destinee Walker follows with 10.0 per game, while Worthy chips in 9.7 ppg and White contributed 9.3 to round out the Highlanders' top threats.
Worthy leads the Highlanders with a blistering 49.0 field goal percentage, making 25 of 51 attempts.
Inching closer to becoming the 22^nd player in program history with 1,000 points, Worthy needs 34 for the accomplishment.
Against West Virginia, five different Highlanders assisted on two-plus baskets with three assisting on three.
Claudia Quevedo leads the team with 2.7 per game, ranking tied for seventh in the Big South.

SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN

The Wildcats are riding a two-game winning streak, defeating back-to-back NCAA Division II and III opponents.
Abilene Christian is 5-1 at home, while holding a 0-2 record on the road.
Dominique Golightly paces three players averaging double-figures with 13.5 ppg. Golightly also leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Nationally, Golightly ranks 30^th with 3.1 3-pointers made per game.
Breanna Wright follows with 10.1 ppg and Sara Williamson chips in 12.0 per game.
Three different Wildcats have assisted 25-plus assists as they rank 23^rd nationally with 18.1 per game.
Abilene Christian is averaging 76.2 ppg, crossing the 80-point mark five times.
The Wildcats are holding opposing teams to 64.8 ppg.
Holding a +12.0 rebound margin to rank ninth in the country, Abilene Christian averages 45.4 rpg and opponents are only pulling down 33.4.
The Wildcats rank fifth in the country with 18.0 offensive boards per contest.

SCOUTING TOWSON

The Tigers had their three-game winning streak snapped on Dec. 12 in an 86-76 loss at Norfolk State.
Towson is 1-3 away from home on the season.
With three players averaging double-digits, Raine Bankston leads the way with 13.6 per contest.
Mary Cuevas is averaging a double-double with 11.1 ppg and 10.0 rpg to go along with her 55.7 field goal percentage.
Almost joining Cuevas with a double-double is Nukiya Mayo with 12.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg.
Cuevas and Mayo are responsible for 36 of Towson's 59 blocks on the season.
Towson ranks eighth in the country with 6.6 blocks per game.
The Tigers are committing 20.3 turnovers per game, which ranks 324^th in the country.
Opposing teams are shooting 32.4 percent from behind the arc, averaging 5.3 against the Tiger defense.
Towson is shooting 38.8 percent from the field as five players hold averages over 35-percent.

UP NEXT

Radford will take some time off for the holiday break, before returning to action against UVa-Wise on Dec. 30 in the Highlanders' final non-conference matchup.
The matchup is slated for a 2 p.m., start.
UVa-Wise is the alma-mater of Assistant AD for Communications Jordan Childress.
The last time the two in-state opponents met came on March 1, 1977 as UVa-Wise was then known as Clinch Valley College.
Radford leads the all-time series 6-0.

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Players Mentioned

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

#11 Claudia Quevedo: G; 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

#20 Lydia Rivers: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

#11 Claudia Quevedo
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#20 Lydia Rivers
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore
: F

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

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

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