Radford, Va. -- Senior Taryn Causey (Collierville, Tenn.) scored a game high 19 points, while senior Jesse Brunjak (Ooltewah, Tenn.) added 14 points to lead Radford past Winston-Salem State, 62-45 in an exhibition Monday night at the Dedmon Center. Causey also had five rebounds and a game best five steals and four assists, while Brunjak added five boards as well.
The Highlanders came out strong, going up 11-2 at the 14:18 mark and eventually pulling out to a 22-4 advantage with 9:49 to go. Causey was a key contributor during the opening run, scoring nine of her 11 first half points. After the team traded a few buckets, RU used a 14-4 spurt, sparked by a pair of back-to-back three’s by Brunjak, to extend its lead to 26 (36-12). Winston-Salem’s Latoya Armstrong drained a 35-footer as the buzzer sounded to make it 36-15 going into halftime.
The Highlanders held Winston-Salem State to just 25.9 percent from the field in the first half, while they shot 43.8 percent. Brunjak finished with 12 points, while Tiffany Tonkins led WSSU with six points.
Early on in the second half, Radford pushed its lead to as much as 27 (44-17) at the 16:19 mark and led 47-23 after a Causey three with 13:19 to go. A 14-0 run over the next 6:58 helped the Lady Rams cut the lead to 47-37 with 6:21 left in the game. During the run, Bobbi Barnes and Shalonda Carter each scored four points, while Radford went cold from the field, going 0-7 and turning the ball over four times.
Senior Holly Sharkey (Westminster, Colo.) ended the drought with a 19-foot jumper and Radford was able to hold off WSSU’s rally with a timely 10-2 run, extending its lead to 18 with just 1:24 to go in the game.
Sophomore Sarah Stephens (Hampton, Va.) finished with nine points and six rebounds for the Highlanders. Senior Alisha Jones (Mesa, Az.) also corralled a team best six boards to go along with four points, while sophomore Ashley Young (Blacksburg, Va.) chipped in with six points. Carter led the Lady Rams with 11 points and a game best eight boards. Tonkins and Janet Robinson each added eight points for WSSU.
Radford opens up it regular season when they head to Richmond, Ky. for the Comfort Inn and Suites Classic hosted by Eastern Kentucky from Nov. 19-20. The Highlanders will face the host at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
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