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67
Winner Radford Rad 11-9,3-2 Big South
65
Winthrop Win 10-10,3-3 Big South
Winner
Radford Rad
11-9,3-2 Big South
67
Final
65
Winthrop Win
10-10,3-3 Big South
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Radford Rad 14 16 24 13 67
Winthrop Win 7 21 20 17 65

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Highlanders Hold Off Eagles for Crucial Road Win

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Radford women's basketball team (11-9, 3-2 BSC) survived a late rally by their hosts to take down Winthrop (10-10, 3-3 BSC), 67-65, at the Winthrop Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Georgia Simonsen blocked Winthrop's go-ahead three-point attempt with three seconds left to help seal the Highlanders' second-straight conference win.

KEY STATS
  • Joi Williams stepped up to lead Radford with 16 points, shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and over 50 percent from three.
  • Cate Carlson added 14 points, also making four three-pointers in the contest.
  • The Highlanders shot a season-best 48 percent from behind the arc (12-25). The 12 made three-pointers tied a season-high (vs. Navy on Dec. 4). Radford made six of 10 trifectas in the second half.
  • Radford won the rebounding battle 42-33 and outscored the Eagles 10-3 on second chance opportunities.
PLAY BY PLAY
Defense was the highlight of the first quarter for the Highlanders, holding Winthrop to just seven points and three made field goals over the opening 10 minutes. Williams started the scoring with a trifecta from the top of the arc on the first possession. Carlson and Angelina Nice also hit from behind the arc in the opening chapter. The Highlanders led by as many as nine points, with neither side scoring over the final three minutes of the first.

Winthrop broke through after a six-minute scoring drought, answering Simonsen's layup a few minutes into the second quarter. That helped jump start a 14-4 run by the Eagles that saw them take a 21-20 lead with just under five minutes left before halftime. After a string of misses, Kirah Dandridge broke free for a fast break layup to take the lead back with 3:43 left. Winthrop pushed ahead to lead by as many as four points, before some late three-pointers, including a buzzer-beating three sunk by Ellie Taylor, that gave Radford a two-point cushion heading into the break.

The Highlanders scored 24 points in the third quarter, a new season high for that section of the game, and they needed all of it to keep the lead. Winthrop tied it to start the half, but Simonsen responded in the succeeding trip to take it back. A 7-0 burst began with Taylor's drive to the hoop and Williams' personal five-point run made it an eight-point game at the 7:09 mark. Carlson stayed hot, making both of her three-point tries in the half. Cherish Haywood also answered a Winthrop score with to make it a two-possession game once again late. The Highlanders led by six after three.

Radford got a strong start to the fourth quarter, thanks to another trifecta by Williams. The lead grew to 10 points after Haywood's three-point play with 7:10 remaining. The Eagles managed to chip away throughout the quarter. After a lull in the offense, Dandridge's sunk a huge three-pointer to extend Radford's lead to eight points with 2:06 left. The Eagles battled back to shrink the deficit to a single possession in the final minute, including a three-point play by Amourie Porter, which made it 67-65 with 23 seconds left. A quick turnover gave Winthrop a shot at the win, but Simonsen's clutch block and rebound in the final seconds sealed the two-point win.

McGUIRE QUOTABLE
"Today was a great conference game," said Head Coach Mike McGuire. "Both teams really battled and responded to various runs throughout the game. This was an important road win for our ladies. We did a better job of stringing together offensive possessions in the third quarter and we had to win the rebounding battle today. I'm proud of our fight and determination today."

UP NEXT
Radford looks to extend their winning streak with a big battle against in-state rival Longwood on Wednesday, January 21. Tipoff from the Dedmon Center is at 7:00 p.m. Watch in person, follow along on ESPN+ or on WRAD Radford Sports Radio.

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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