Liberty University
5-13 (4-3)
Radford
14-4 (6-1)
Hot-Shooting Radford Defeats Liberty, 76-68
1/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Big South co-leader Radford enjoyed one of its best shooting nights of the season, Tuesday at the Dedmon Center, hitting 80 percent (8-of-10) from three-point range and 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the foul line. As a result, the Highlanders held off Liberty, 76-68.
Destinee Walker scored a game-high 16 points for Radford, highlighted by a 4-of-4 performance from beyond the arc. Two of those triples came during a key 15-2 burst early in the third quarter which pushed the Highlanders' lead from two to 15. Liberty got no closer than six points the rest of the evening and dropped back-to-back Big South games for just the third time in Carey Green's 18 seasons as head coach.
Liberty is now 5-13 overall and 4-3 in the Big South after falling to 1-10 away from home on the year. The Lady Flames racked up 42 points in the paint but shot only 50 percent (7-of-14) from the free throw line.
Audrey Rettstatt scored all 14 of her points in the first half, equaling her career high. Nene Johnson (11 points) and Lela Sellers (10) also reached double digits for the Lady Flames.
Radford improves to 14-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play after bouncing back from a Saturday setback to remain tied with Campbell for the Big South lead. The Highlanders' 11th straight home win snapped a pair of lengthy losing streaks. Prior to Tuesday, Radford had lost nine straight home matchups with Liberty and 12 consecutive meetings with the Lady Flames overall.
Rettstatt tallied 13 of her points in the first quarter, equaling Liberty's record for a single period. However, it was Radford which took an early 14-8 lead on Jen Falconer's three-pointer at 5:05 of the opening quarter. The Lady Flames then outscored the Highlanders, 13-2, over the remainder of the period. Back-to-back hoops by Johnson closed out the surge with Liberty on top, 21-16, after a fast-paced opening 10 minutes.
Radford held Liberty to one made field goal over the first 7:08 of the second quarter, outscoring the blue-clad visitors, 16-4, over that stretch. Khiana Johnson's three-point play at 3:43 gave the Highlanders their largest lead of the opening half at 32-25. Radford stayed on top for the remainder of the period to take a 35-30 advantage into halftime.
The first half represented a contrast of styles. Radford shot 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from three-point range, while Liberty enjoyed an 18-6 edge in points in the paint. Rettstatt led all players with 14 first-half points, while Walker scored 10 points prior to the intermission for the Highlanders.
Radford went on its aforementioned 15-2 run early in the third quarter, sparked by three triples. However, it was an old-fashioned three-point play by Claudia Quevedo which punctuated the surge. The conversion, which came at the 4:22 mark, boosted the Highlanders to a 50-35 advantage. Liberty was able to claw back to within nine points at 54-45 by the end of the quarter though.
Sellers hit a triple from the corner and Kierra Johnson-Graham made a layup on consecutive fourth-quarter possessions, trimming Liberty's deficit to 58-52 with 6:44 remaining. But Khiana Johnson halted the Lady Flames' comeback with a perimeter jumper and a fast break layup, rebuilding a double-digit advantage for the host team.
Radford made 10-of-11 free throws down the stretch to keep Liberty at arm's length, securing just its second victory in its last 22 meetings with the Lady Flames.
Both teams shot well from the field on the night, with Liberty making 45.9 percent (28-of-61) and Radford connecting at a 42.9 percent (24-of-56) clip. However, the Lady Flames could not match the Highlanders' three-point proficiency, ending up at 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from long range.
Liberty won the rebounding battle for the eighth straight game, 38-34, paced by Johnson-Graham (nine rebounds) and Keyen Green (eight boards). Green also scored all nine of her points after halftime.
The Lady Flames blocked eight shots, giving them 18 rejections over the last two outings.
Radford's other double-digit scorers included Khiana Johnson (14 points) and the post duo of Janayla White (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Jayda Worthy (11 points, 9 rebounds).
Up Next
Liberty will return home for a Saturday matinee against Winthrop (2-17, 1-6 Big South). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Vines Center for the 60th all-time hardwood meeting between the Lady Flames and Eagles.
