Women's Basketball 11/24/2018 3:06:00 PM

HIGHLANDERS LOOK TO TAKE ANOTHER GAME AT MIAMI (FLA.) THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT; FACE NEBRASKA ON SUNDAY

RADFORD CONCLUDES MIAMI (FLA.) TOURNAMENT AGAINST NEBRASKA
The Highlanders will conclude their action in the Miami (Fla.) Thanksgiving Tournament. Radford will take on Nebraska on Sunday at noon before heading back to Virginia. Radford and Nebraska have never met.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Nebraska (First Ever Meeting)
Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 25 at noon
Location: (University of Miami (Fla.) Coral Gables, Fla. (Watsco Center)
Game Notes
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NEBRASKA IN FOCUS
The Huskers will try to bounce back from an 82-68 loss to No. 24/22 Miami on the Hurricanes' home court Friday...Freshman Sam Haiby led the Huskers in scoring for the third time in four games with 14 points off the bench. Haiby, a 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., is averaging a team-best 12.8 points per contest and also carries a team-best 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio through four games...Junior guard Hannah Whitish added a season-high 13 points, all in the second half against the Hurricanes...Whitish, a preseason All-Big Ten selection, has produced double figures in all three of her starts this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Coral Gables, Fla. - - -Despite playing without their leading scorer and rebounder, Savannah Felgemacher, the Radford women's basketball team defeated the Temple Owls, 56-50, in the first game of the University of Miami (Fla.) Thanksgiving Invitational on Friday afternoon at the Watsco Center. Radford improved to 3-1 while the Owls dropped to 2-3.

The Highlander duo of senior Destinee Walker and junior Khiana Johnson combined for 37 points to lead the offense. Walker (game-high 21 points) hit 9-of-21 field goal attempts, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc. In addition, the forward grabbed her 400^thcareer rebound in the opening quarter and added six rebounds in the contest. Johnson (team-high five assists) went 5-for-11 from the floor, splashed 2-of-5 treys and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. Redshirt junior Lydia Rivers added eight points and eight rebounds and freshman center Amele Ngwafang contributed a game and season-high 11 boards in her first career start.

"Today's game was wild," Walker admitted. "Basketball is a game of runs and we were able to keep our composure when we fell behind in the third quarter. We just told each other that we would be fine and just needed to trust each other and our coaches."

"I think we are all figuring out our roles and i think it's getting better by the game," she added. Personally, I am just trying to get consistent with my game and trying to just get better each time out and improve in every single aspect."

Radford played stifling defense all afternoon as they held Temple to just 32.8 percent shooting on 21-of-64 field goal attempts. The Owls hit just 3-of-19 attempts (15.8 percent) from behind the arc

The Highlanders shot 39.6 percent (21-of-52), went 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from deep and were 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from the charity-stripe.

Temple scored the opening bucket of the game however Radford scored the next nine points to grab a 9-2 advantage with 5:13 left in the opening quarter. Walker got things going with a triple from the right corner, Johnson hit two from the line and Walker finished off a fast break with a layup. A 3-pointer by Johnson at the 1:56 mark gave the Highlanders a 12-4 advantage at the end of the first stanza.

The Owls cut the lead to 13-10 after a jumper by Allliya Butts but Ngwafang scored inside to push the lead back to five points with 4:29 left in the half.

The teams would only score one basket each until sophomore forward Tina Lindenfeld drilled a long-range bomb with thirty-one seconds left before the half to give Radford a 20-12 advantage. Butts scored inside with three seconds left to bring Temple within 20-14 at the break.

The Highlanders came out firing on all cylinders to open the third quarter. Walker drained consecutive triples over the first thirty-five seconds to give Radford a 26-14 advantage.

A steal by Rivers led to a fast break jumper by Johnson to stake the Highlanders to their largest lead of the game, 30-16, with 7:58 left in the third quarter.

Still leading by 14, 32-18, after a hoop by Walker with 7:15 left, Temple outscored the Highlanders by a 17-3 margin to tie the game at 35 after three quarters. The Owls actually took a 35-33 advantage at the 1:08 mark, however, freshman guard Bryonna McClean grabbed a board and went coast-to-coast for a game-tying layup as the clock expired.

Trailing 40-39 with 8:25 left in the contest, the Highlanders began to exert their will as they went on a game-changing 9-0 run to grab a 48-40 advantage with 5:39 left.

Johnson ignited the spurt with a trey, McClean converted a driving layup and Walker shook free for consecutive buckets on the interior to account for the scoring.

Temple refused to go away easily as they managed to whittle the deficit to two points on a pair of occasions over the final sixty-five seconds.

Johnson gave Radford a 50-44 edge with 2:57 to play after hitting a jumper but the Owls got back-to-back hoops from Butts to make it 50-48 at the 1:05 mark.
Walker then delivered another clutch basket as she converted a layup to give Radford a 52-48 advantage.

Temple converted a Highlander turnover to close within 52-50 with twenty ticks left but Rivers hit a pair from the line on the next possession.

Following a turnover, Johnson put the game out of reach by sinking two more from the line for the final points of the contest.

Radford will take on Nebraska on Sunday at noon in the final game of the Tournament.

NGWAFANG IMPRESSIVE IN FIRST CAREER START
Freshman Amele Ngwafang filled in quite nicely for Felgemacher as she contributed a game and season-high 11 boards in her first career start against Temple. The center is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game in just 13.8 minutes per game four contests into her career. Radford was +10 points with Ngwafang in the contest against the Owls, the highest total of any player in the game.

McCLEAN HONORED
Radford freshman guard Bryonna McClean has been named the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week, it was announced on Monday by the conference office.

McClean provided a major boost off the bench in the Highlanders remarkable come-from-behind win against East Tennessee State on November 15. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native hit 4-of-5 field goal attempts en route to a season-high 12 points against the Bucs at the Dedmon Center. The Princess Anne product also corralled four rebounds and dished four assists, helping to spark the team after they trailed by as many as 23 points. She added six points on 3-of-7 shooting against No. 17 ranked N.C. State on Sunday afternoon.

"Bryonna really stepped up for us this week," said Radford head coach Mike McGuire. "She is a talented young lady that is figuring out how to make a difference for us on a daily basis. Her energy and hustle plays' against ETSU really gave us a lift throughout that game.

"Bryonna is a young lady that will improve as the season progresses and we'll need that spark from her, McGuire added. This was a great week for her."

FELGEMACHER AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS
Savannah Felgemacher is third in the country at 15.7 rebounds per game. Felgemacher recorded 21 rebounds on opening night against South Carolina State. The 21 boards were just three shy of the school-record set by Nan Milner in 1981 and the most by a Highlander since Jennifer Grant's total of 23 in 2000.She also added 11 rebounds against East Tennessee State and grabbed 15 at N.C. State.

FOLLOW RADFORD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford women's basketball team, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordWBB on Twitter, 'RadfordWBB' Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

#45 Savannah Felgemacher: F; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior

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

#2 Tina Lindenfeld: F; 6' 1"; Sophomore

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

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

#12 Bryonna McClean: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

#35 Amele Ngwafang: F; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#45 Savannah Felgemacher
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior
: F

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

#2 Tina Lindenfeld
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: F

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

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

#12 Bryonna McClean
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G

#35 Amele Ngwafang
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F