Highlanders Crush Blue Hose in Big South Opener

Wednesday, December 31

Clinton, SC

12:00 PM

Radford University

9-7,1-0Big South

Presbyterian

2-12,0-1Big South

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Radford	18	17	17	23	75
Presbyterian	7	7	4	14	32

Photo by: Rob Simmons

Highlanders Crush Blue Hose in Big South Opener

12/31/2025 2:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CLINTON, S.C. – The Radford women's basketball team capped off the calendar year with a dominating victory, routing Presbyterian 75-32 at the Templeton Center on New Year's Eve.

KEY STATS

The 32 points are the fewest points scored by a Big South opponent since Radford's 70-30 win at Winthrop on February 17, 2018.
The Highlanders held Presbyterian to shoot just 20.4 percent in the game (11-54). They also won the rebounding battle 50-32 and outscored the Blue Hose in the paint 36-12.
Four players finished in double figures, with Georgia Simonsen leading the way with 15 points.
The Highlanders move to 30-12 all time against Presbyterian.

PLAY BY PLAY
The Highlanders got off to a slow start but made up for it in the second part of the opening quarter. Williams hit a nice running shot off glass to give Radford a 4-3 lead at the 6:12 mark – it turned out to be the last lead change of the game. It was the start of a 16-0 run the Highlanders went on in the quarter. Angelina Nice had a nifty steal and score to make it 8-3, and another layup after a Presbyterian turnover by Ellie Taylor led the Blue Hose to call a timeout with three minutes left. Nice added a couple more shots to make it 18-3 before Presbyterian ended their six-minute scoring drought.

Radford added nine points in the opening couple of minutes in the second quarter, four of those points coming off turnovers. The Highlanders' lead grew to as much as 26 points after a Taylor layup off a turnover as part of another run. The Blue Hose managed to get make the most of some free throws late in the opening half, but it was all Radford 35-14 at the break. The Highlanders held Presbyterian to a 13.8 shooting percentage (4-29) in the first half.

Defense continued to be the order of the day in the second half. Radford outscored Presbyterian 17-4 in the third quarter. Cherish Haywood and Cate Carlson opened up the taps from beyond the arc, and a second-chance bucket by Nice extended the lead to 30 with 3:02 left. A later three by Haywood and a Simonsen free throw made it 52-18 after three.

The huge lead gave the bench a chance to get some experience in the fourth quarter. Ava Sawi made the most of it, hitting a couple of threes and finishing four of five from the floor to reach double figures. Anaiah Jenkins also continued to grab rebounds, capping off a 10-board performance and finishing a basket shy of a double-double. Lindsee Williams and Anna Chacha converted from the free throw line to enter the scoring column and wrap up the 75-32 win.

McGUIRE QUOTABLE
"After the first few minutes of the game, I thought we executed our game plan well," said Head Coach Mike McGuire. "We had quite a few of our ladies execute their roles well on both ends of the floor. Winning on the road in conference play is challenging so we need to enjoy this win and continue to build our belief and conviction in who we are as a team. It is always great to start conference play 1-0 on the road."

UP NEXT
The Highlanders begin the new year at the Dedmon Center in their home conference opener against Charleston Southern. Tipoff is at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3 on ESPN+.

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