Highlanders Go Shot for Shot, Ultimately Fall in Big South Semifinals

Saturday, March 8

Johnson City, Tenn.

8:30 PM

Radford University

14-17,10-6Big South

Longwood

22-10,11-5Big South

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Radford	20	9	22	14	65
Longwood	20	18	12	23	73

Highlanders Go Shot for Shot, Ultimately Fall in Big South Semifinals

3/8/2025 11:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Radford women's basketball program played their hearts out Saturday night going shot for shot with No. 2 Longwood before ultimately falling 73-65 in the conference semifinals.

KEY STATS

Joi Williams led the offense once again with 16 points, followed closely by Adelyn Traylor-Walker's 14.
Radford outshot Longwood from three 11-4 with Williams, Traylor-Walker and Makayla Firebaugh all recording a trio of triples.
Scoring droughts at the end of both halves were the deciding factor in the game, with Radford held scoreless over the four minutes of the first and five minutes of the second half.
Radford had assists on 15 of their 21 made shots, led by Williams who had four.

PLAY BY PLAY
Radford's offense would struggle to start Saturday's semifinal, but free throw shooting helped keep things close until the shots started to fall. A three by Williams at the 5:56 mark put Radford ahead 8-7 as both teams would go shot for shot.

Williams and Traylor-Walker would combine for an 8-0 run as Radford, but the Lancers responded with a run of their own. A buzzer beater three by Firebaugh would help equalize things at 20-20 before the second quarter got rolling.

Firebaugh would help ignite the offense in the second with a second chance three pointer with Taylor Napper following her with a second chance look of her own to give Radford a 27-26 lead. An extended scoring drought would allow the Lancers to build their biggest lead of the game however, eventually ending the first half at 38-29.

Once again it was Firebaugh who hit a three pointer to get the comeback rolling. Williams would hit another deep shot to make it a 42-35 deficit. Napper and Anna Stromberg added paint makes with another three from Traylor-Walker put the pressure on the Lancers. Down 48-44, Kirah Dandridge nailed a three that forced a Longwood timeout.

With just 46 seconds left in the quarter, Traylor-Walker electrified the Highlander bench with a three that erased the deficit fully and put Radford up 51-50. That advantage held into the final quarter as the intensity ramped up.

Napper and Williams provided makes early in the fourth quarter, but another extended scoring drought came at the wrong time. Radford would be held scoreless for over six minutes as the Lancers paced ahead. The shots just wouldn't come down as Longwood held on at the free throw line in the 73-65 finish.

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