Wednesday, January 17
Boiling Springs, NC
7:00 PM
Radford University
8-10,4-0Big South
80
at
71
Gardner-Webb
2-15,1-3Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radford | 23 | 22 | 16 | 19 | 80 |
| Gardner-Webb | 12 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 71 |
Photo by: Rob Simmons
Offense Catches Fire in Dominant Road Win at Gardner-Webb
1/17/2024 9:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Radford women's basketball program stayed hot with an impressive offensivee performance Wednesday night in an 80-71 victory at Gardner-Webb to earn the team's fourth-straight Big South win.
Radford would lead from tip to final horn in the contest thanks in part to some great free throw shooting. The whistles were a constant in the meeting as Radford shot 29-38 (76%) from the charity stripe to fuel the offense that finished the night shooting 43% overall.
Early on, Radford's offense looked unstoppable. The Highlanders stormed out to a 7-2 lead thanks to buckets from Taniya Hanner, Joi Williams and Pa'Shence Traylor-Walker. After Williams knocked down a three, the free throws started to come for Radford. Ashlyn Traylor-Walker, Olivia Wagner and Williams hit six straight to make it a 16-6 lead six minutes into the first quarter.
After Ellie Taylor ended the quarter with four quick points, Radford owned a commanding 23-12 lead through ten minutes. Four straight points from Ashlyn and Hanner to start the second quarter put Radford up further 27-12. The offense continued to click and after four straight points from Terissa Lavoile-Brice and four straight points from Hanner Radford led 40-26.
A three-pointer from Taylor for her seventh points of the half and one last layup by Hanner gave Radford the 45-30 advantage at halftime. The 45 first half points were the most by Radford in the first half this season as the team was a scorching 60% overall from the floor.
Already up 15, Radford would keep the pace with Gardner-Webb the rest of the way until the eventual victory. Radford's lead never fell below eight in the second half thanks to both the offense and defense. After the Runnin' Bulldogs burst out to a 6-0 run between the eighth and sixth minutes, momentum seemed to be turning as the Highlanders lead dropped to 50-40. Gardner-Webb made a crucial mistake being called for a technical plus a shooting foul and Ashlyn would drain all four free throws to re-extend the lead.
After not shooting the three-ball well in the first half (just 30% on 10 attempts), Radford flipped that narrative to close the third quarter. Wagner and Pa'Shence drilled back-to-back three-pointers to help Radford own a 61-51 lead headed into the final quarter.
As has been the theme in Radford's four Big South wins so far, the defense took over to seal the deal in the final quarter. Both teams were held scoreless for a four-minute stretch as points weren't easy to come by. Lavoile-Brice put a bow on her double-double with five points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to keep Radford's lead in double digits.
With under two minutes remaining, Gardner-Webb sent Radford to the free throw line to defend their lead. Radford was excellent in closing things out as the team hit 10 of 12 free throws over the final two minutes to seal the eventual 80-71 win.
NOTABLES
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
UP NEXT
The Highlanders stick to the road for another challenging bout of Big South action Saturday at USC Upstate. Both the Highlanders and Spartans have posted impressive Big South records so far in what's sure to be a thrilling one in Spartanburg, S.C. tipping at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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.
Radford would lead from tip to final horn in the contest thanks in part to some great free throw shooting. The whistles were a constant in the meeting as Radford shot 29-38 (76%) from the charity stripe to fuel the offense that finished the night shooting 43% overall.
Early on, Radford's offense looked unstoppable. The Highlanders stormed out to a 7-2 lead thanks to buckets from Taniya Hanner, Joi Williams and Pa'Shence Traylor-Walker. After Williams knocked down a three, the free throws started to come for Radford. Ashlyn Traylor-Walker, Olivia Wagner and Williams hit six straight to make it a 16-6 lead six minutes into the first quarter.
After Ellie Taylor ended the quarter with four quick points, Radford owned a commanding 23-12 lead through ten minutes. Four straight points from Ashlyn and Hanner to start the second quarter put Radford up further 27-12. The offense continued to click and after four straight points from Terissa Lavoile-Brice and four straight points from Hanner Radford led 40-26.
A three-pointer from Taylor for her seventh points of the half and one last layup by Hanner gave Radford the 45-30 advantage at halftime. The 45 first half points were the most by Radford in the first half this season as the team was a scorching 60% overall from the floor.
Already up 15, Radford would keep the pace with Gardner-Webb the rest of the way until the eventual victory. Radford's lead never fell below eight in the second half thanks to both the offense and defense. After the Runnin' Bulldogs burst out to a 6-0 run between the eighth and sixth minutes, momentum seemed to be turning as the Highlanders lead dropped to 50-40. Gardner-Webb made a crucial mistake being called for a technical plus a shooting foul and Ashlyn would drain all four free throws to re-extend the lead.
After not shooting the three-ball well in the first half (just 30% on 10 attempts), Radford flipped that narrative to close the third quarter. Wagner and Pa'Shence drilled back-to-back three-pointers to help Radford own a 61-51 lead headed into the final quarter.
As has been the theme in Radford's four Big South wins so far, the defense took over to seal the deal in the final quarter. Both teams were held scoreless for a four-minute stretch as points weren't easy to come by. Lavoile-Brice put a bow on her double-double with five points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to keep Radford's lead in double digits.
With under two minutes remaining, Gardner-Webb sent Radford to the free throw line to defend their lead. Radford was excellent in closing things out as the team hit 10 of 12 free throws over the final two minutes to seal the eventual 80-71 win.
NOTABLES
- Radford's 39 free throw attempts are by-far a season-high and mark the most free throw attempts in a single game since attempting 50 against Presbyterian in 2019.
- Four Highlanders scored double digits tonight (Hanner, Ashlyn, Lavoile-Brice, Williams) with a pair just missing the mark (Wagner and Pa'Shence).
- Radford's 80 points are a season-high and the most they've scored during regulation against a Big South team since scoring 84 against Charleston Southern last season.
- Lavoile-Brice's 14 points and 12 rebounds mark the freshman's second career double-double and first against a Division I opponent.
- Radford led from start to finish owning a lead for 39:49 of game time. It marks the second time this season the Highlanders have done so, last doing so against Concord.
- Radford's 4-0 Big South record is the team's best start since 2016-17 when the team started 5-0 in conference play.
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
- Winthrop claimed a 70-64 overtime victory over UNC Asheville outscoring the Bulldogs 12-6 in overtime for a thrilling road victory.
- Longwood handed USC Upstate its first conference loss of the season 66-58 in Farmville, Va. behind 20 points from Janay Turner.
- High Point earned a dominant 76-55 win over Presbyterian shooting over 55% with Faith Price exploding for the Panthers for 21 points.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders stick to the road for another challenging bout of Big South action Saturday at USC Upstate. Both the Highlanders and Spartans have posted impressive Big South records so far in what's sure to be a thrilling one in Spartanburg, S.C. tipping at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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.
Team Stats
Rad
GW
FG%
.426
.439
3FG%
.263
.190
FT%
.763
.773
RB
36
31
TO
15
17
STL
4
2
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballThursday, April 23
Sunday, April 12
Thursday, April 02
Saturday, March 21
