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Simonsen1218
Radford Athletics Communications
73
Winner Radford Rad 8-6,0-0 Big South
67
Hampton Hamp 6-5,0-0 CAA
Winner
Radford Rad
8-6,0-0 Big South
73
Final
67
Hampton Hamp
6-5,0-0 CAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 F
Radford Rad 13 16 15 15 14 73
Hampton Hamp 14 10 19 16 8 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Highlanders Overcome Pirates in Overtime for McGuire’s 200th Win

HAMPTON, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team (8-6) picked up their first road win in another close game, edging Hampton (6-5) 73-67 in overtime on Thursday at the Hampton Convocation Center. After becoming the winningest basketball coach in Radford history last month, Head Coach Mike McGuire took his 200th triumph with the win today.

KEY STATS
  • Joi Williams once again took control down the stretch with a team-leading 23 points on 7-for-12 (58.3%) shooting.
  • Georgia Simonsen grabbed seven rebounds in the fourth quarter and one in overtime and finished with a dozen points and rebounds. It's her second double-double this season.
  • Radford made all six free throws in the overtime period to pull ahead by multiple possessions.
  • McGuire is the sixth Big South women's basketball coach to reach 200 wins and just the fourth to do so within the same program.
PLAY BY PLAY
Hampton jumped ahead 9-3 out of the gates before the Highlanders got their feet on the ground. The defense stepped up to hold the Pirates scoreless for a long stretch of time. Cate Carlson tied the game with a three-pointer to knot things at 11-11 with 2:47 in the first. Williams followed with a steal and breakaway layup that gave Radford a brief lead, but Hampton answered with a three to take a one-point lead in the first quarter.

The Highlanders began forcing turnovers left and right to get the lead back and get some cushion. Simonsen entered the score column with a layup to put Radford up three, then a huge three-pointer by Williams made it a seven-point game midway through the quarter and forced a Hampton timeout. Both teams saw time at the free throw line with fouls piling up, with Hampton making several to keep it 29-24 at halftime.

Radford almost broke things open early in the third quarter, with stops and high percentage baskets by Anaiah Jenkins and Carlson pushing the advantage to eight. The Pirates stormed back with a 9-0 run for a short-lived lead, but Ellie Taylor and Williams had some nice drives to the basket to get the lead back. Hampton hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds to make it a one-point game in the final quarter.

Both sides went back and forth in the fourth chapter. Hampton and Radford traded baskets through the first five minutes before Williams hit from beyond the arc to give the Highlanders a three-point lead with 4:37 left. Radford held that lead until just under two minutes left, when a Hampton three-pointer gave them a 59-57 lead. After what seemed like a game losing turnover, Kirah Dandridge made an exceptional play to strip the ball from Hampton's point guard and found Williams for a layup to tie things at 59-59. Radford got a stop at the other end but ran out of time for a great look to force overtime.

After both sides traded layups to start overtime, Hampton's foul trouble led to some chances for Radford. Williams cashed in on some free throws after a foul to put the Highlanders up two with 3:03 left. A steal by Simonsen led to a layup for Angelina Nice on the next trip, making it a two-possession game. Williams made a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left to extend the lead back to four, and Taylor put things away with two more made freebies with 17 tics on the clock.

McGUIRE QUOTABLE
"When you're given the opportunity to be a Division I head coach, you just hope your vision can become a reality by the hard work of a lot of people," said McGuire after the game. "I owe a lot to several people at (Radford) for making women's basketball important and relevant. For trusting me to be the head coach through some great seasons. This doesn't happen without a lot of people pulling in the same direction – coaches, student-athletes, and administration. Yeah, to think about 200 wins, it's really about the people and how many people that have poured into this program since I've been here. I've worked with a lot of awesome people. That's what has to happen to have success. Very excited to be a part of it."

UP NEXT
The Highlanders head back to the NRV for a matchup against Virginia Tech. Tipoff is at noon on Sunday, December 21st from Cassell Coliseum. The game can be seen on ACCNX and heard on Radford Sports Radio 1460 AM WRAD.

Follow Women's Basketball on Social Media
For more information on the Radford women's basketball team, follow @Radford_WBB on X and Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook.
#RadfordTough | #RiseAndDefend
 
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