HIGHLANDERS EXPLODE FOR 49 POINTS OVER FINAL 13 MINUTES TO OVERCOME HIGH POINT

Tuesday, January 8

Radford

7 p.m.

Radford University

8-5 (2-0BSC)

High Point

8-5 (1-1BSC)

Team	1	2	3	4	F
HPU	10	15	16	17	58
Radford	8	17	22	33	80

HIGHLANDERS EXPLODE FOR 49 POINTS OVER FINAL 13 MINUTES TO OVERCOME HIGH POINT

1/8/2019 9:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NUNLEY PICKS UP FOURTH STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE WITH 22 POINTS AND 20 BOARDS

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Postgame Press Conference -Head Coach Mike McGuire
Postgame Press Conference -Sydney Nunley

Radford, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team reversed an eight-point second half deficit and pulled away from the High Point Panthers, 80-58, on Tuesday evening at the Dedmon Center. The Highlanders, who outscored the visitors by a 49-19 margin over the last 13 minutes of the contest, improved to 2-0 in the Big South and are now 8-5 overall.

"This was a great win because High Point is a terrific team and I know they have high expectations for their season," said head coach Mike McGuire.

"I'm really proud of how we finished the game," he added. "Our second half was tremendous and our fourth quarter was awesome. I thought we played with an attitude and we can be really good if we continue to play that way."

Redshirt junior Sydney Nunley, the reigning Big South Player of the Week, continued her dominant run as the center produced the Highlanders second 20-20 game of the season (Savannah Felgemacher, 21 points, 21 rebounds vs. South Carolina State). The Lewisburg, West Virginia native, who has now recorded four straight double-doubles, tied her career-high with 22 points and snared a career-best 20 rebounds on the evening. Nunley, who hit 9-of-16 field goal attempts, scored 15 points and secured 18 rebounds in the second half alone.

"It's a really great feeling to be playing like this and to have the confidence of my teammates to be looking for me on the offensive end of the floor." said Nunley, who missed most of last season with a leg injury. "Just to come back after all of the hard work in rehab and the heartbreak and frustration of missing so much time makes me feel really good."

Senior guard/forward Destinee Walker also registered her second straight double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Walker went 7-for-17 from the floor and scored 13 points in the second half. Junior guard Khiana Johnson was also in double-figures (14 points) and distributed a career-high nine assists. Redshirt junior guard Jen Falconer added 11 points and a pair of steals.

The Highlanders trailed 39-31 with 3:13 remaining in the third quarter after Emma Bockrath converted two free throws. However, Radford outscored the Panthers by a 16-2 margin to close out the stanza.

The hosts rattled off four consecutive three-point plays, which ignited the mammoth stretch. Walker hit a pair of long-distance bombs, Johnson swished a triple and also added a conventional three-point play to boot. Walker's trifecta with 1:41 remaining in the third quarter gave Radford the lead for good at 43-41. Nunley then scored the last four points of the quarter.

The Highlanders poured it on the final stanza as they outscored High Point by a 33-17 margin. Falconer drained a 3-pointer 15 seconds in to give Radford a 50-41 edge.

High Point (8-5, 1-1 Big South) managed a modest 13-10 spurt to close within 60-54 with 4:25 left in the contest after a jumper by Bockrath. However, Nunley scored inside and then Falconer and sophomore forward Tina Lindenfeld splashed consecutive treys to widen the lead to 68-54 at the 3:04 mark.

The visitors, who were picked as the No. 2 team in the Big South preseason coaches' poll behind Radford, never threatened again as the hosts continued to add to their lead.

Radford will travel to Hampton on Thursday evening before returning home on Saturday to face Winthrop at the Dedmon Center.