Ethan Neal

Box Score

Radford Rad 22-12,12-4 Big South

High Point HP 27-5,13-3 Big South

Radford Rad

22-12,12-4 Big South

Final

Mar. 08, 2026

High Point HP

27-5,13-3 Big South

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Radford Rad	16	16	13	22	67
High Point HP	18	11	27	15	71

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/8/2026 9:12:00 PM

Highlanders’ Late Rally Not Enough in Thrilling Big South Championship Game

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – They played with heart; they played with grit. In the end, it just wasn't to be. The Radford Highlanders women's basketball team saw their dream of making the big dance come to an end on Sunday night, as they fell to top-seed High Point, 71-67, in the Big South Final at Freedom Hall Civic Center.

KEY STATS

Joi Williams had her third game of scoring at least 30 points of the season, essentially putting the team on her back at times. The junior totaled 76 points in the three games of the Big South Tournament to earn all-tournament team honors. Georgia Simonsen also received the nod.
Radford needed to win the battle of the boards to stay in this one, and they did just that, grabbing 42 to High Point's 33. They also had 15 offensive rebounds, 10 more than the Panthers.
Ellie Taylor and the Highlanders managed to shut down Big South Player of the Year Macy Spencer, limiting the guard to just six points.
Radford also won the turnover battle 15-13, with 11 being forced in the first half.

PLAY BY PLAY
It was a thrilling game throughout, although it took the Highlanders a bit to get their legs under them. High Point opened to an 8-0 lead before Taylor earned a trip to the line and sunk a pair for Radford's first two points with 6:27 left in the first. Williams tallied her first two points to make it 8-4 before the first media timeout. After the break, Williams and the Highlanders got going. The junior got Radford within three points at the 4:14 mark, and an Angelina Nice breakaway layup after a steal made it a one-point game. The Radford faithful erupted for the first time after Williams made two free throws and then followed with a trifecta to make it 14-10 and a 10-0 run. Back-to-back threes made by High Point stifled the momentum, and the Panthers carried a two-point advantage at the end of one.

The score slowed, but the game remained close in the second. High Point held a slim lead as the Highlanders kept them within striking range. Kirah Dandridge hit a game-tying three from the corner with 3:13 left evening things, and Anaiah Jenkins answered a High Point make to retie it at 28-28 with a few moments left in the half. After a defensive stop, Williams fell down with the ball at mid-court, throwing off everyone's momentum heading down the court. The ball magically found Cate Carlson, who nailed a huge three. Dandridge followed after a High Point turnover to sink from deep and make it 32-26 with a minute left before half. The Panthers took some momentum away from Radford heading into halftime with a late three, making it 32-29 at the break.

The third quarter was the turning point in the contest. High Point began to chip into Radford's lead, with Aaliyah Collins scoring a huge and-one at the media timeout to tie it at 41-41 with 4:49 left in the third. Spencer hit her only three-pointer to make it a five-point game, and a few more scores by High Point on a 18-2 run made it an 11-point game. Williams broke the scoring drought with 41 seconds left in the third, but High Point answered to lead 56-45 after three.

As quickly as the game felt it had slipped away for Radford, the Highlanders raced back and made it a game. Williams was unconscious, scoring two three-pointers within two minutes to start the quarter as part of an 8-0 run to make it a three-point game. The Highlanders continued to answer High Point makes to keep within one possession of the Panthers before another clutch three by Carlson and a driving layup by Williams tied things up with just under five minutes left. The Highlanders went quiet on the offensive end for a bit as High Point got ahead by four, but Taylor got a basket when they needed it with 2:15 remaining to make it 67-65. After Collins was fouled and made two free throws on the High Point end, Williams hit a short jumper to reach 30 points and cut the deficit back to two with 1:31 left.

Radford had a couple chances to tie late, with two misses by Collins giving Radford a chance to tie or take the lead. Williams missed a jumper with 16 seconds, but Spencer kept the door open by making just one of two free throws after a foul. Carlson got a great look off and inbounds pass to tie the game with five seconds left that clanked off the iron. Jenkins kicked the rebound out to Williams, who's rushed three was well off the mark before being grabbed by High Point and put an end to Radford's hopes of a madness moment.

McGUIRE QUOTABLE
"I thought tonight was a great championship game," Head Coach Mike McGuire said in the postgame press conference. "I thought it only came down to the last couple of minutes. Just a couple of possessions short. Ultimately, it was probably the third quarter that was the difference. Super proud of our ladies. How the represented our institution. How they competed for the Big South this year. This is one of the best team's in program history and we're very proud of them."

UP NEXT
With High Point winning the conference as the regular season champion, the Highlanders will at worst receive an auto bid to the WNIT Tournament as the next best team in the Big South. The WNIT Selection Show is set for Sunday, March 15, with the full bracket reveal on Monday, March 16 and the first round beginning on Thursday, March 19.

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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