Second Half Run Propels Highlanders Past Bulldogs, 55-43

RADFORD, Va. - Radford University used a 14-2 run midway through the second half to break open a tie ballgame and defeat UNC Asheville, 55-43, in Big South women’s basketball action from the Dedmon Center.

Amanda Neby (Plymouth, Minn.) and Brandy Allen (Roanoke, Va.) led the Highlanders with 14 and 13 points, while pulling down eight and nine rebounds respectively. Asheville’s Lindsey Roche led all scorers with 16 points. Radford end’s their three-game skid and improves to 6-12 overall and 2-5 in the Big South, while the Bulldogs drop their 11th-straight and fall to 3-16 and 0-7 in Conference play. box score

In the first half, the Highlanders jumped out to a 6-2 lead after making their first three shots from the field. The Bulldogs would claw back into the game, and take their first lead at 14-13, after a Roche three, with 7:06 left. After Allen put RU back in the lead with a jumper, Roche hit her third three to give UNCA their largest lead at 17-15. The Highlanders would use a 7-2 spurt to close out the half and take 22-19 lead at halftime.

Radford came out strong in the second half, forging ahead by nine, 30-21 at 15:35. The Bulldogs responded with an 11-2 run to knot the scored at 32 with 12:55 left in the game. The Highlanders would then go on their 14-2 run to take a 46-34 lead with 6:47 to go. UNCA was able to cut the lead down to eight, but Hanna Statsenka (Minsk, Belarus), in a three-minute span, scored all nine of her points in succession to help RU secure the victory.

The Highlanders, led by Sherri Rickman’s (Roanoke, Va.) game best 11 rebounds, outrebounded the Bulldogs, 43-33. With her final rebound of the game (1:39), Rickman grabbed the 500th (ranks 15th at RU) of her career. Shantell Waiter corralled 10 as well for UNCA. Both teams struggled from the field and the line. Radford shot 39 and 50 percent from the field and line respectively, while Asheville shot 34.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from the line.

Radford will take to the road for their next two games. They will face Coastal Carolina on Sat., Feb 1 and Charleston Southern on Feb. 3. Both games tip off at 7 p.m.