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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
TeamBigSouth2023-24
61
Winner Radford Rad 15-17,9-7 Big South
45
USC Upstate USCU 16-15,10-6 Big South
Winner
Radford Rad
15-17,9-7 Big South
61
Final
45
USC Upstate USCU
16-15,10-6 Big South
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Radford Rad 13 13 13 22 61
USC Upstate USCU 5 9 16 15 45

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Defense Stands Strong in Women’s Basketball’s Semifinal Victory Over USC Upstate

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Radford women's basketball program put on a defensive display in Saturday night's semifinal win 61-45 over the third seed USC Upstate as the trio of Ashlyn Traylor-Walker, Joi Williams and Ellie Taylor continue to impress in the postseason.

Radford's defense took center stage in the showdown holding the Spartans to single digit points in the first and second quarters. In crunch time, Radford's defense stood up once again holding USC Upstate scoreless over the final three minutes of the game to seal the win.

Early on, shots were hard to come by for both squads. Radford got its first make from Olivia Wagner two minutes in while USC Upstate wouldn't get its first made shot until the 6:25 mark to go up 3-2. Williams responded with a three of her own, and the Spartans would be held to just two points over the final five minutes allowing Radford to go on an 8-0 run behind two threes from Taylor and Wagner.

Up 13-5, Radford continued to add on behind a layup by Pa'Shence Traylor-Walker 30 seconds into the second quarter. USC Upstate got three points from the free throw line but had zero makes from the floor until the 3:55 mark. Free throws from Terissa Lavoile-Brice and points from Taniya Hanner kept Radford's lead in the double digits for the eventual 26-14 halftime lead.

The Spartans opened the second half on fire scoring seven straight points to tighten the game at 26-21. Radford weathered the storm and out of a timeout got a make from Hanner and Williams. A three by Ashlyn put Radford back up 32-23. Radford got a 7-0 run thanks to jumpers by Taylor and Ashlyn as well as a nifty fake-out three-pointer from Pa'Shence.

USC Upstate scored the final four points of the third to make it just a 39-30 Radford lead as the Highlanders continued to float around a nine-point advantage. In the fourth quarter, Radford and USC Upstate would go shot for shot with each other as each team traded critical three after critical layup.

The Highlanders wouldn't gain a lead larger than 10 until under three minutes when the defense shut down USC Upstate the rest of the way while the offense continued to click. The Highlanders ended the game on an 8-0 run and hit their free throws to put away the Spartans 61-45 and advance to the conference championship.

NOTABLES
  • USC Upstate's 14 points in the first half are the least scored by a Radford opponent this season. The previous low was 16 points by Presbyterian on Jan. 27th.
  • Ashlyn had another efficient shooting night as the sophomore continues to enjoy the confines of the Qubein Center. She finished tonight with 18 points on 6-11 shooting while collecting 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
  • Taylor was perfect from the field, hitting all five shot attempts including a three for 11 points.
  • Radford's defense forced 18 USC Upstate turnovers and converted 14 points off the miscues.
  • The championship appearance marks the Highlanders' first since 2019 and 11th total in program history.
  • Radford now owns an impressive 8-3 record when facing the #2 seed and is up to a 9-2 record when competing as the #3 seed.
 
UP NEXT
The Big South Championship game is now set as the third-seeded Radford will take on the fifth-seeded Presbyterian. The game is set for a 6 p.m. tip tomorrow, March 10th, and will be nationally broadcast on ESPN2.
 
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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