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Women's Basketball

Women’s Basketball Squares Off Against Virginia Tech in Battle of New River Valley

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford Highlanders (8-6) will try and end non-conference play on a major high note, traveling just up the road for a game against the Hokies on Sunday in Blacksburg.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Virginia Tech Hokies (10-3, 1-1 ACC)
Date/Time: Sunday, December 21st at Noon
Location: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Listen to All Games Live on WRAD AM 1460
Watch on ACCNX
Follow Live Stats Here
 
KEY STORYLINES
Last Time Out: Radford kept their cool in their third overtime game of the season, taking down Hampton 73-67 for their first true road win on Thursday. Joi Williams continued her string of standout performances, dropping a team-best 23 points. Freshman Georgia Simonsen added her second-career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, including seven boards in the final 15 minutes of action. Leading by a handful at the break, Radford weathered a Pirate rally to tie it with 40 seconds in regulation. Clutch baskets in the paint by Angelina Nice and key free throws helped the Highlanders in the overtime period.
 
Milestone Mike: Head Coach Mike McGuire became the first Radford basketball coach and the sixth Big South women's basketball coach to reach 200 career wins after the victory at Hampton, joining Carey Green (440 at Liberty, 1999-2018), Rick Reeves (290 at Liberty [1991-1999] and Gardner-Webb [2008-2018]), Ronny Fisher (232 at Presbyterian [2008-2016] and Campbell [2016-2023]), Wanda Watkins (230 at Campbell 1986-1994 and 2011-2016), and Alan LeForce (228 at Coastal Carolina 1997-2013). He is the fourth coach to get 200 wins at the same institution in the Big South.
 
In the Details: With Thursday's win, the Highlanders improve to 8-3 against non-power opponents…2-0 against Hampton since they left the Big South (2022-pres.)…4-3 coming off a win…2-1 in overtime …6-1 when leading at half…5-0 when shooting 40% or better…5-0 when outrebounding opponent…6-2 when winning turnover battle…4-0 when scoring 70+ points…7-2 when holding opponent to 69 points or less…3-0 when a player records a double-double. Eight wins in non-conference play is the most since the 2007-08 season.
 
With a Win: A win against the Hokies would be Radford's first against a power opponent since beating Virginia 57-54 on December 8, 2018, and their first win against (and at) Virginia Tech since a 67-60 triumph on November 10, 2006.
 
Christmas Joi: Junior guard Joi Williams once again reached double figures to lead the Highlanders with 23 points on Thursday. After getting off to a slow start this season, the Big South Preseason All-Conference member is eighth in the Big South with 12.5 points per contest. Williams is averaging 23.3 points per game this month and shooting at a 52.5% clip (32-for-61) through four December games. Her 130-career made three-pointers puts her fifth on the Radford all-time list, passing Aisha Foy (2012-16) for the spot at Hampton.

Georgia on my Mind: Georgia Simonsen added her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Hampton. Having earned the Big South Freshman of the Week award for her last double-double, Simonsen's college career is off to a fantastic start. She is averaging 7.6 points per game and leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per contest. Simonsen also has 15 blocks on the year which is tied for the most in the Big South.
 
Windows are Clean: As a team, Radford has grabbed 40+ rebounds in five consecutive games, dating back to their contest at Cleveland State on November 29. They are second in rebounds per game in the Big South with 40.6, trailing USC Upstate by just 1.7 boards per contest. Radford also ranks third in the Big South in defensive rebounds (27.1 per game) and in rebounding margin.
 
Everyone Plays: The Highlanders have used nine different starting lineups in 14 games. Radford's leading scorer has come off the bench in nine games. Ten players are averaging over 10 minutes of action per game, and all 14 players have logged in at least a few minutes this season. Williams is the only player averaging over double digits per contest (12.5), while Georgia Simonsen is the only player averaging over five rebounds per game (6.1).
 
Scouting Virginia Tech: The Hokies are off to a strong 10-3 start and picked up their first conference win at Florida State, 79-54, on Thursday night in Tallahassee. Their only losses have come to several tough opponents at James Madison (56-65 on Nov. 23), vs. BYU (60-64 on Nov. 27 in the U.S. Virgin Islands), and vs. Duke (54-70 on Dec. 7). The Hokies have routed their two matchups against Big South opponents with a 87-51 win over Gardner-Webb on November 13 and a 92-36 beat down against Presbyterian on December 10. Redshirt junior guard Carleigh Wenzel leads them with 13.5 points per game.
 
FOLLOW RADFORD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford women's basketball team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @Radford_WBB on X, 'radford_wbb' Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook.
 
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Players Mentioned

Angelina Nice

#32 Angelina Nice

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Joi Williams

#4 Joi Williams

G
5' 6"
Junior
Georgia Simonsen

#23 Georgia Simonsen

F
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Angelina Nice

#32 Angelina Nice

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Joi Williams

#4 Joi Williams

5' 6"
Junior
G
Georgia Simonsen

#23 Georgia Simonsen

6' 1"
Freshman
F