Highlanders Sputter Down the Stretch as They Fall to Mount St. Mary's, 85-77

Radford, Va. - Radford University (4-5) could not stop Mount St. Mary's (3-5) Samira Rashid down the stretch. She scored 11 of her 18 points in the final four minutes of the game to help the Mountaineers to an 85-77 come-from-behind victory over the Highlanders from the Dedmon Center. Her 11 points sparked a game-closing 19-5 run by The Mount, as they improved to 3-5 on the season, while the Highlanders fall to 4-5 after their second consecutive home loss.

Myriam Baccouche would start The Mount's rally by hitting a three-pointer and a layup to cut the lead to two, then Rashid would give MSM the lead for good, 75-74, by nailing a trey with 2:57 left. The Highlanders could not recover as they missed three missed free throws and committed a pair of turnovers on back-to-back possessions down the stretch. Box Score

Radford finished the game with four players in double figures led by Brandy Allen's (Roanoke, Va.) 18 points and Amanda Neby's (Plymouth, Minn.) 15 points, nine boards and game best five assists. The Mount also had four players in double figures, with Baccouche and Adrienne Harris netting 24 and 21 points respectively. Baccouche also pulled down 12 rebounds, while Harris dished out four assists and had four steals.

Prior to the Mount's final push to close out the game, the two teams would not let each gain too much momentum. The Highlanders grabbed a five-point lead early on but the visitors would chip away with a 9-2 spurt to take a two-point lead at 15:57. After that, neither team was able to take more than a three-point lead until Radford took a four-point lead at 5:40, which they eventually pushed to six with 5:21 left.

After the some back and forth play in the opening minutes of the game, the Mountaineers took control with a 14-2 run to grab a 31-18 lead at 7:49. The Highlanders would respond with a 12-0 run to cut the lead to one with 2:52 left, and with the momentum they took a 39-38 lead into the lockerrom. Neby dropped in 12 for the Highlanders, while Baccouche led all scorers at the break with 16 points, and Harris added 13 for the Mount.

Jesse Brunjak (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Heather Perez (Louisville, Tenn.) each chipped in with 11 points for the Highlanders. Brunjak also tied Neby with a team high nine boards. For MSM, Lilka Adam posted a double double with career best 14 points and 15 boards.

The Highlanders close out their non-conference schedule when they head to Blacksburg, Va. on Dec. 31 for a New Years Eve tilt against Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. Radford will open up conference play with a pair of games next weekend. They host Coastal Carolina on Jan. 2 at 3 p.m., then Charleston Southern at 6 p.m. on Jan. 4.