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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
PaShenceTraylorWalker
Rob Simmons
55
Winthrop Win 7-10,1-3 Big South
63
Winner Radford Rad 7-10,3-0 Big South
Winthrop Win
7-10,1-3 Big South
55
Final
63
Radford Rad
7-10,3-0 Big South
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Winthrop Win 10 22 13 10 55
Radford Rad 18 8 23 14 63

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Pa’Shence Sets Career-High in Comeback Win Over Winthrop

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball program earned their third straight Big South victory Saturday afternoon in comeback fashion defeating Winthrop 63-55 behind Pa'Shence Traylor-Walker's career-best 14 points.

After trailing 32-26 at halftime and by as much as 36-26 in the second half, the Highlanders dug deep once again for the comeback victory. Radford outscored Winthrop 23-13 in the third quarter and held the Eagles scoreless for a four-minute stretch late in the fourth for the eventual victory.

Radford began the game on a strong 4-1 swing thanks to strong moves in the paint by Terissa Lavoile-Brice and Taniya Hanner. Winthrop tied things up with a three-pointer, something they don't hit often at just 21% on the season coming in. Radford kicked off a 12-0 run from there for a 16-4 lead thanks to a pair of three's from the Traylor-Walker sisters Ashlyn and Pa'Shence.

Another pair of three-pointers by the Eagles kept things close at 18-10 going into the second quarter. The run wouldn't end there as the Eagles started the second with seven straight points to extend the run to 14-3 overall making it an 18-17 game.  Ellie Taylor made her first of many big baskets of the day to extend the lead to 20-17, but five straight points including yet another three-pointer gave Winthrop their first lead of the game.

Neither team would take control as the Highlanders and Eagles traded baskets and free throws. Tied at 26-all, Winthrop finished the half on a 6-0 run for their decisive lead at the break. Pa'Shence led the Highlanders with seven points and Ashlyn wasn't far behind with six, but it was 11 first half turnovers that proved costly as the Eagles converted them into eight points.

Needing to turn things around, Winthrop came out of the gates in the second half with four straight points to balloon their lead to the biggest it would get all day at 36-26. A much-needed basket by Pa'Shence broke the 10-0 run and kicked the offense into gear.

Free throws from Hanner and Lavoile-Brice bit into the lead while Pa'Shence exploded for five more points and Taylor added a fastbreak layup to have the Highlanders trailing just 41-40. Taylor hit a free throw to tie the game up and it was Wednesday night's hero Olivia Wagner drilling a three to give Radford a lead 44-41 with 2:17 left in the third.

Wagner would hit another three to get Radford back up 47-44, responding to a Winthrop three on the other end. A pair of free throws by Ashlyn made it a 49-45 lead headed into the final frame of action. This time, Radford got things started right. With the shot clock draining, Taylor nailed a huge three-pointer to put Radford up 52-47.

A fastbreak layup from Ashlyn pushed the lead further, but Winthrop refused to go away scoring four straight points to pull the game back to a 54-51 Radford lead with 7:17 remaining. Nobody would score over the next two minutes until Hanner broke the dry spell with an offensive board and put-back.

After the media timeout, Radford's defense stepped up big time. Winthrop would be held scoreless for four straight minutes allowing Wagner to practically seal the deal with her third three-pointer of the evening and some clutch free throws from Lavoile-Brice to go up 61-53. The defense did its job from there over the final two minutes to hang on and win 63-55.

NOTABLES
  • The Eagles entered Saturday's contest as one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, but the Highlanders outrebounded them 32-26 and 10-8 on the offensive end.
  • Four players reached double figures scoring including Pa'Shence, Ashlyn, Taylor and Wagner.
  • Hanner just missed her second straight double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds.
  • Radford won every tracked specialty stat including paint points (30-28), points off turnovers (25-16) and fastbreak points (13-8).
  • Taylor's 10 points are a season-high for the senior and just miss her career-best mark of 11.
  • Radford has begun conference play with a 3-0 record for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
 
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
  • Gardner-Webb picked up one of its biggest wins of the season, and its first Big South win, against Presbyterian 72-58 behind an impressive 41% shooting performance.
  • UNC Asheville shot lights-out in a 69-61 victory at Longwood behind 21 points, 5 assists and 14 rebounds from McKinley Brooks-Sumpter.
  • USC Upstate and Charleston Southern tipped off in Spartanburg, S.C. later than the other three conference contests at 4 p.m.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will be on the road for their next pair of Big South meetings as the conference schedule grind continues. This upcoming Wednesday, January 17th, Radford visits Gardner-Webb for a rematch of last season's overtime thriller in the Big South Tournament Semifinals.
 
Follow Women's Basketball on Social Media
For more information on the Radford women's basketball team, follow @Radford_WBB on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook.
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