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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
WBBWilliams225
Rob Simmons
54
Presbyterian Presb 3-25,1-14 Big South
95
Winner Radford Rad 19-11,11-4 Big South
Presbyterian Presb
3-25,1-14 Big South
54
Final
95
Radford Rad
19-11,11-4 Big South
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Presbyterian Presb 15 14 12 13 54
Radford Rad 26 22 21 26 95

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Williams Joins 1,000-Point Club in Radford’s Dominant Win Over Presbyterian

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford women's basketball team sent the Highlander faithful home happy, pulling away from Presbyterian with a 95-54 triumph in the final regular season game at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.

KEY STATS
  • Joi Williams became the 25th Highlander to reach 1,000 career points, needing 15 and scoring 18 in the victory.
  • Georgia Simonsen dominated in the paint, totaling a career-high 24 points on 12-of-16 shooting.
  • Angelina Nice added 19 points to round out the Highlanders in double figures.
  • Radford has scored 90+ points in consecutive games against NCAA Division I opponents for the first time since the 1995-96 squad beat UNC Asheville 98-65 on March 7 and Charleston Southern 93-75 on March 8, 1996, in the Big South Tournament.
  • The Highlanders shot a season-best 60 percent from the field (36-60). They've also shot over 50 percent in six of their last eight quarters.
 
PLAY BY PLAY
It's almost hard to believe from the box score, but the Blue Hose came out with nine of the game's first 11 points out of the gates. Radford quickly reeled in the visitors with a four-minute, 12-0 run. Simonsen began the string of points with a step-back jumper, and Williams was chasing history early, hitting a three and following with a pair of drives to the hoop to have seven of Radford's first 14 points. A Presbyterian layup and some free throws stopped the scoreless streak, but Nice caught fire, adding a bucket and three-pointer to make it 26-15 Radford after one.

The Highlanders continued to attack and find high-percentage looks. Anna Stromberg added a layup, then Simonsen and Nice found their way to the basket for more tallies. Presbyterian did battle and received trips to the free throw line, with the Blue Hose hanging around to keep it a seven-point game with three minutes left in the half. Williams found herself close to the 1,000 point mark, sinking a three-pointer to get within two, then being fouled with 2:10 left in the half. She got the friendly bounce on the first free one, then hit nothing but nylon on the second to reach 1,000 points and give the Highlanders a 41-29 advantage. For save measure, Williams made a three on the next trip, and back-to-back scores by Cherish Haywood and Simonsen provided a 12-0 Radford run to lead by 19 at halftime.

Presbyterian briefly cut into the deficit to start the third, but a nice basket for Jenkins, followed by a pair of scores for Simonsen made it a 24-point game. Simonsen reached a new career high with 20 points with 2:32 remaining in the third, then Stromberg got a second basket underneath to make it 64-40. Nice bulls eyed a three for the third chapter's final tally, with the Highlanders up big 69-41.

The fourth quarter was owned by Haywood, as the freshman was all over the court creating havoc in the Presbyterian back court and sinking free throws. Ava Sawi also got into the scoring column, as the sophomore sunk a pair of mid-range jumpers which got Radford to the 90-point threshold with just over a minute left. Though things were more than out of reach, Nice didn't hear a bell, as the sophomore scored five late points in the closing seconds to make it a 95-54 final.

McGUIRE QUOTABLE
"It's good to get the last one of the regular season here," opened Head Coach Mike McGuire in the postgame press conference. "I thought we got better as the game went on. Obviously a good offensive performance. It's back-to-back games of over 90 points. It's the first time (against DI opponents) since I think 1996. That's a huge credit for our team for just continuing to get better offensively. It's a special night for Joi too. For her getting her 1,000 point in the Dedmon Center. Super proud of her and all the work she's put in. I don't think people realize how much work she's put in to position herself to do that and how much she's grown. Since she's got here as a freshman she continues to get better each year. So, that's exciting. It's a great night for our team and for Joi."

UP NEXT
The Highlanders still have one big game left in terms of Big South Tournament seeding to close the regular season. They'll head to Boiling Springs, N.C., to face Gardner-Webb on Saturday. Tipoff from the home of the Runnin' Bulldogs is at 2:00 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+ and heard 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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