Box Score (PDF)
 



RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team won their ninth consecutive season-opener as the Highlanders cruised to a 61-31 victory against South Carolina State on Wednesday night at the Dedmon Center.
 
Redshirt junior forward Savannah Felgemacher made a Highlander debut for the ages as the James Madison University transfer scored 21 points and corralled 21 rebounds (8 offensive, 13 defensive) in just 28 minutes. The Church Hill, Tennessee native hit 8-of-14 field goals and dominated inside for most of the evening. 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.
 
"I never expected the numbers that I had tonight, but I came into the game with a lot of confidence and the mentality to dominate," Fegemacher admitted. I was able to put all of my nerves away after the exhibition game and was just ready mentally to begin the season with this group of girls."
 
Radford also received a double-double from classmate Lydia Rivers as the Big South Preseason Second Team pick recorded 12 points and 16 rebounds, which tied a career-best. 
 
"We got two phenomenal performances tonight from Savannah and Lydia," Head Coach McGuire stated. "Savannah's performance was the best I have seen during my time at Radford. I have never coached a kid who has had a 20-20 game. I'm really excited for her as she has had a difficult road with some tough injuries. She has far exceeded our expectations at this point in the season."
 
Radford overcame some first quarter jitters as the Bulldogs led 13-9 after the first stanza. 
 
The Highlanders settled down and took a 29-20 lead into the break as they outscored the visitors by a 20-7 margin in the second quarter. Radford hit 9-of-20 field goals and held South Carolina State to just 3-of-16 shooting.  Felgemacher converted all four of her attempts in the quarter and grabbed five boards in 10 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Tina Lindenfeld came off the bench and provided a spark by knocking down a pair of treys.
 
"Obviously, we had a lot of nerves to begin the game, but we got progressively better as the game went along," McGuire stated. "We didn't really know what to expect from their first-year coach and a new system, so it took us a little while to figure out what they were trying to do."
 
Radford continued to apply their typical defensive pressure after the break as they held the Bulldogs to just a pair of field goals and outscored them by a 16-5 count. Felgemacher nearly picked up a double-double in the third quarter alone as she posted 10 points and nine boards.
 
The final quarter was more of the same as the visitors misfired on 16-of-18 attempts and the Highlanders continued to build their lead.

Radford held South Carolina State to just a 20.3 clip for the contest as the visitors went 13-for-64 while the Highlanders finished at 36.5 percent (23-of-63).
 
The Highlanders out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a whopping 67-34 margin for the contest and had 23 offensive boards compared to just nine by the visitors.
 
The hosts outscored the Bulldogs by a 32-10 major inside the paint.
 
NEXT HOME GAME
Radford will host "Education Day" when they take on East Tennessee State at 11:00 on November 15. Tickets can be purchased on RadfordTickets.com or by calling the Radford Ticket Office at (540) 831-7889 during business hours.
 
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.