Women's Basketball 1/30/2026 1:00:00 PM

Women’s Basketball Continues March Through Big South Against Winthrop

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team begins the second half of Big South play against the Winthrop Eagles on Saturday at Noon in the Dedmon Center. Due to the anticipated winter storm, the contest will be closed to the public but will still be on ESPN+ and on WRAD Radford Sports Radio.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Winthrop Eagles (11-11, 4-4 BSC)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 31st at 12:00 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center, Radford, Va.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Listen to All Games Live on WRAD AM 1460
Watch on ESPN+
Follow Live Stats Here

KEY STORYLINES
Last Time Out: The Highlanders led from the jump in a 67-29 rout of USC Upstate on Wednesday night in Spartanburg. Raford led 19-2 after the first quarter and made season-high 13 three-pointers. The 29 points were the fewest allowed by Radford and any Big South team in a conference game since the Highlanders beat Presbyterian 53-29 on January 23, 2012. Junior Cate Carlson led all scorers with 17 points, sinking a handful of three-point shots. Freshman Georgia Simonsen just missed a double-double, ending the night with 13 points and nine rebounds.

In the Details: The victory improved the Highlanders to 6-2 in Big South play…5-7 away from the Dedmon Center…8-5 coming off a win…4-4 in games decided by 30+ points …12-2 when leading at half…9-0 when shooting better than 40 percent…8-4 when making more three-pointers than their opponent…12-2 when scoring 60+ points…5-0 when holding their opponents under 50 points.

A Look Back: Radford has played Winthrop more than any other women's basketball program, with Saturday's game being the 93rd meeting. The Highlanders control the all-time series 70-22 and held off the Eagles for a 67-65 win two weeks ago in Rock Hill.

Can't Miss Cate: Cate Carlson set a new career high with five makes beyond the arc in the huge win on Wednesday. Since winning at Winthrop on January 17, the junior is 12-for-27 (.444) out of three and is averaging 11.8 points a game.

A Joi(ous) Occasion: Joi Williams did everything she had to with a pacing 11 points with three steals in Wednesday's victory. She became the first Radford player to score 20+ points in consecutive games since Destinee Walker during the 2018-19 season in the wins over Longwood and UNC Asheville last week. Williams is also the lone Highlander to average over 10+ points a game (13.3). The junior is currently fifth on the Radford all-time 3-pt field goals made list with 155 made. She trails fourth place Ashley Buckhannon (2009-13) by three field goals. Williams also has 891 career points, 109 short of reaching 1,000 career points. Radford is 8-2 when Williams makes at least three trifectas.

Defensive Mindset: The Radford defense has come up strong in Big South play. Counting only conference games, the Highlanders rank first in blocks (3.88 per game) and are second in defense (52.5 ppg allowed) and opponent field goal percentage (.339).

Georgia on my Mind: Georgia Simonsen reached double figures for the 12^th time this season at USC Upstate. The freshman also registered multiple blocks for the ninth time this season. Simonsen leads the conference with 28 blocks this season. She also ranks among Big South leaders in scoring (9^th, 11.9 ppg) and rebounding (11^th, 6.5 rpg) in conference play.

Big South, Big Awards: On Monday, Joi Williams and Georgia Simonsen were recognized with Big South weekly awards. Williams was named the Player of the Week for the second time this season, while Simonsen received the Co-Freshman of the Week.

Scouting Winthrop: Since falling to Radford two weeks ago, the Eagles lost to High Point 74-60 on January 21 and knocked off Presbyterian 74-42 on January 28. The Eagles have the third-best offense in the Big South (65.8 ppg) but also have the third-worst defense (67.2 ppg). They tend to shoot high percentage shots (40.6% field goal percentage) but struggle from behind the arc (27.9%). The Eagles are led offensively by junior Amourie Porter, who's 15.9 points per game is the third best in the conference and is having another great season after being named first team all-conference last season.

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

#8 Cate Carlson: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Joi Williams: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#23 Georgia Simonsen: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#8 Cate Carlson
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#4 Joi Williams
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#23 Georgia Simonsen
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

Players Mentioned

#8 Cate Carlson

#4 Joi Williams

#23 Georgia Simonsen

Players Mentioned

#8 Cate Carlson

#4 Joi Williams

#23 Georgia Simonsen