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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
destinee marshall
Radford Athletics Communications
54
Winner Radford Rad 4-7,4-4 Big South
45
USC Upstate USCU 5-14,3-11 Big South
Winner
Radford Rad
4-7,4-4 Big South
54
Final
45
USC Upstate USCU
5-14,3-11 Big South
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Radford Rad 13 19 12 10 54
USC Upstate USCU 5 15 10 15 45

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Strong Start Leads Radford to Win, Series Sweep of USC Upstate

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Radford held USC Upstate to a 29.3 percent mark from the field Saturday afternoon and Bryonna McClean scored a team-high 11 points to lead the Highlanders past the Spartans in a wire-to-wire win, 54-45, inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
The win completed a series sweep for Radford, which won Friday's game by a 44-41 margin, and also marked the first time Radford earned back-to-back wins this season. The Highlanders have won seven straight in the series against USC Upstate.
 
Tina Lindenfeld and Destinee Marshall had eight points apiece for the Highlanders, while Rachel LaLonde and Makaila Wilson had six each, with LaLonde grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Lindenfeld and Wilson had three assists each.
 
McClean made her presence felt in the early stages of the first quarter, hitting a jumper to open the game and picking up a pair of steals in the early stages. After Upstate's Anda Kuzmina made a layup, Wilson connected on an early 3-pointer and the Highlanders kept the lead for the remaining 37-plus minutes. LaLonde kickstarted a 6-0 run to close the quarter, with buckets by Morgan and Marshall closing the quarter. Radford limited Upstate to a 2-for-12 shooting performance in the opening 10 minutes and took a 13-5 lead after one.
 
Upstate cut the Highlander lead to 15-11 early in the second quarter before Radford went on another 6-0 run with baskets from Ariel Williams, LaLonde and McClean. A pair of free throws by McClean and a Morgan three-ball from the corner extended the Highlander advantage into double-digits with three minutes left in the quarter, 26-15. Radford then went on another 6-0 run, with Williams, Ashley Tudor and Danielle Montelbano making jumpers, before an Upstate 3-pointer at the buzzer cut the Radford lead to 32-20 at the half.
 
The home side got the first basket of the second half, but Radford responded with a 6-2 run with Wilson draining a trey from the wing to push the lead to 14. Upstate was able to cut its deficit to 10 on two different occasions but baskets from Marshall and Taiye Johnson allowed the Highlanders to close the third quarter with a 44-30 lead.
 
Lindenfeld hit a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to begin the fourth quarter, as Radford took its largest lead of the game at 50-33. After McClean made a jumper from the baseline, the Highlanders struggled on the offensive end for the remainder of the quarter but the Radford defense remained strong throughout. USC Upstate only had one made basket in the final six minutes of the contest, as Radford closed out a 54-45 win for its second straight victory over the Spartans.
 
Dakota McCaughan, Denijsha Wilson and Molly Coleman had eight points each for USC Upstate, while Coleman also had eight rebounds for the Spartans.
 
QUOTABLE
"First, I think it was a great response by our team [this weekend], especially after how we played on Tuesday at Hampton, for us to quickly regroup and prepare, and come down here to Spartanburg. For us to continue to grow and continue to improve, I thought this was a really good step for our program, especially for a young group. In terms of this game today, I thought the first half was probably the best half of basketball we've played. I thought the game plan was executed really well by our ladies. I thought we were assertive, I thought we were focused, and I thought that was just a great 20 minutes for us. We got a little comfortable late and got a little sloppy at the end, but for us to come here and get a sweep, that's awesome for this group."
Head coach Mike McGuire on the weekend, the win and getting the sweep
 
"I know that when I bring energy to the team that it can create energy for everybody else around me, so the biggest thing for me was to play hard. If I'm not hitting shots, then help my teammates hit open shots.
Junior guard Bryonna McClean on her mentality in the game
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return home for a two-game series against preseason Big South favorite Campbell beginning Friday.
 

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