RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team (10-9, 2-2 BSC) got back to their winning ways with a 53-38 triumph over Gardner-Webb (5-13, 2-2 BSC) on Wednesday night at the Dedmon Center.

KEY STATS

• Joi Williams found her stroke once again, sinking five three-pointers to lead all scorers with 21 points.
• The Highlander defense dug in and held Gardner-Webb to 28.1 percent from the floor and just 12.5 percent from three (2-16).
• Radford dominated the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Runnin' Bulldogs 41-30.

PLAY BY PLAY
Radford made it a point to get open shots, attacking the Gardner-Webb defensive zone with quick passes by their guards. They also eyed and sunk several key three-pointers, using a 9-1 run in the middle of the quarter to take control early. Williams got the game started with a trifecta, and Cate Carlson followed a few minutes later. Williams hit a nice runner and was fouled at the 3:46 mark, converting the free throw into a three-point play. Kirah Dandridge hit from three on the next possession, and it was 13-5 Radford with 2:33 remaining in the quarter. Gardner-Webb scored the final two baskets to keep it a three-point game after one.

Neither side seemed to be able to get the offense going in the second quarter. The Runnin' Bulldogs kept it a four-point game with 4:19 remaining before half before Williams hit another big three, her second of the game, with 3:10 left. Radford led by as many as nine after Anaiah Jenkins hit a pair of free throws, and Carlson followed with a couple more from the charity stripe to pull the lead to 28-20 at the break. Radford made seven of nine free throws in the first half, and both teams forced a combined total of 21 turnovers.

It was a slow start for Radford in the second half, with Gardner-Webb quickly getting within a couple possessions in the opening minute of the third quarter. Ellie Taylor hit a shot at the 6:30 mark to end a drought for the Highlanders. Carlson and Williams continued to make their three-point tries though, with the latter's at 4:53 giving Radford their largest lead up to that point at 10 points. Gardner-Webb failed to score the final five minutes of the third chapter, while Georgia Simonsen got going with a put back layup at the buzzer to give Radford a 42-26 advantage after three.

Gardner-Webb battled back to briefly make it a 10-point game with six minutes remaining. Radford Head Coach Mike McGuire took a timeout to turn the tides, and Williams answered the call with a deep three-pointer that swung the momentum back to the Highlanders with 5:49 left. The Runnin' Bulldogs managed to claw their way back to the 10-point margin late, but another three from Williams, coupled with a Gardner-Webb turnover due to having six players on the court after a timeout, put away any hopes of a miraculous comeback.

McGUIRE QUOTABLE
"We needed a win," opened McGuire in the postgame press conference. "I'm really proud of our defensive effort to hold Gardner-Webb to 38 points I think is strong. The game wasn't smooth. I'm really proud of our team for finding a way to win and get back in the win column, and get back to 2-2. A 15-point win at home was very important for us."

UP NEXT
The Highlanders hit the road to take on Winthrop on Saturday, January 17th. The action tips off at 2:00 p.m. from the Winthrop Coliseum. Follow along on ESPN+ or listen on WRAD 1460 AM.

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.
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