Skip To Main Content

Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
WBBUpNext218

Women's Basketball

Play4Kay, Pennant Giveaway Highlights Highlanders Penultimate Home Game

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team has hit the homestretch with just four regular season games left on the docket. The Highlanders are still battling for the top spot in the Big South, trailing High Point by just one game in the loss column entering Wednesday. They'll need to win tomorrow night, hosting USC Upstate at 7:00 p.m.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: USC Upstate Spartans (8-18, 3-9 BSC)
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center, Radford, Va.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Listen to All Games Live on WRAD AM 1460
Watch on ESPN+
Follow Live Stats Here
Purchase Tickets Here
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Play4Kay Game: The Highlanders play their annual Play4Kay game to help raise donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Play4Kay is the vision of its founder, Olympic Gold Medal-winning and Naismith Hall of Fame coach, Kay Yow. For Coach Yow it was simple, to unite people through sport in the fight against cancer. Through Play4Kay, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has awarded over $8.7 million towards this fight. Your support matters! Help continue the fight and donate now, visit KayYow.com.
 
Pennant Giveaway: Be sure to arrive early! The first 300 fans will receive a Highlanders-branded pennant.
 
Healthcare Provider Appreciation Night: Calling all healthcare heroes! Bring your badge to the box office to receive two free tickets. Additional discounted tickets are available, starting at $5.
 
KEY STORYLINES
Last Time Out: The Highlanders took down UNC Asheville 73-45 last Wednesday to move to 17-10 and 9-3 in Big South play. Radford took control, leading by double digits in the first quarter and held a healthy lead throughout. The Bulldogs briefly managed to get the deficit down to single digits before Radford pulled away thanks to a 24-7 run in the fourth quarter. Joi Williams led the team with 19 points off the bench, while freshman sensation Georgia Simonsen had an efficient 12 points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Highlanders shot better than 50 percent for the second consecutive game.
 
In the Details: Last Wednesday's win moved the Highlanders to 9-3 in Big South play…10-6 when coming off a win…2-0 in games decided by 21-29 points…15-2 when leading at half…11-0 when shooting better than 40 percent…14-1 when outshooting opponent…13-4 when opponent shoots under 40 percent…5-8 when opponent has more free throw attempts…11-5 when making more three-pointers…12-2 when winning points in the paint…8-1 when scoring 70+ points.
 
A Look Back: This is the 19th meeting between USC Upstate and Radford, with the Highlanders controlling the series 14-4. Radford has won five straight, including a dominating 67-29 win for today's hosts on January 28 in Spartanburg. The Spartans' last win came on January 20, 2024 in South Carolina. Their only win at the Dedmon Center came on February 1, 2022. Radford is 12-3 against USC Upstate in the Mike McGuire era (since 2013-14).
 
Rising and Defending: The Highlanders held a conference opponent to under 50 points for the fourth time this season. Counting only league games, Radford has the best defense in the Big South, allowing just 55.6 points a game. They also rank among team leaders in opponent field goal percentage (2nd, .355), blocked shots (2nd, 3.50 per game), and opponent three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .271). Their opponent field goal percentage (.369) during the regular season is tied for the 31st best nationally.
 
Joi Stepping Up: Joi Williams tallied 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding six assists to help lead the Highlanders to a win at UNC Asheville last Wednesday. The preseason All-Big South First Team member is averaging 13.3 points a game (7th in conference) and is shooting at a 36.2 percent clip from behind the arc, making 2.4 a game (5th in conference). Her 163 made three-pointers in her career is the fourth-most by a Highlander, with Patrinda Toney (1987-92) sitting at 180 made in third place. She is also nearing the 1,000 points in a career mark with 945. Williams will need to average over 13.75 a game to reach 1,000 in the regular season.
 
Simonsen Says: The freshman from Fairfax's streak of Big South Freshman of the Week awards came to an end. Still, Simonsen had a dozen points and led the Highlanders with eight rebounds last Wednesday at UNC Asheville. She still leads the conference with 33 blocks and has the best field goal percentage (.556) in conference play.
 
What's Up with Upstate: Since the Highlanders and Spartans met on January 28, USC Upstate has gone 2-2 with wins at Presbyterian and Winthrop. They're coming off a close 63-57 loss to UNC Asheville this past Saturday. Redshirt Sophomore Cassie Gallagher continues to be a threat, averaging 16 points a game with a 41.7 percent three-point percentage. She also leads the Big South with 31.9 minutes a game.
 
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.
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Joi Williams

#4 Joi Williams

G
5' 6"
Junior
Georgia Simonsen

#23 Georgia Simonsen

F
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Joi Williams

#4 Joi Williams

5' 6"
Junior
G
Georgia Simonsen

#23 Georgia Simonsen

6' 1"
Freshman
F
Skip To Footer