CCU

Women's Basketball Defeats Radford, 48-38 in Big South Opener

       

Women's Basketball Defeats Radford, 48-38 in Big South Opener

Radford, Va. - Radford University (4-7, 0-1 BSC) was held to 27.3 percent shooting as they suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, falling to Coastal Carolina (5-4, 1-0), 48-38, in both teams Big South Conference Opener from the Dedmon Center. Jesse Brunjak (Ooltewah, Tenn.) was the lone Highlanders in double figures with 11 points and tied for a game best nine rebounds. Lady Chanticleers' Nikki Reddick led all scorers with 15, while Courtney Brown added 14.

The first half got off to a slow start as Brown hit Coastal's first field goal at 16:18 giving them a 4-1 lead. Ludmila Nicheporchuk (Minsk, Belarus) would respond with the Highlanders' first field goal, a three pointer, at 16:02 to tie the game at four. The teams would battle back and forth as there were six ties and seven lead changes. Coastal would gain some momentum with a 7-2 spurt to close out the half up 23-19.

In the second half, Radford would get back into the game, tying things up a 25 with 16:02 left. The Lady Chants responded, breaking the tie by going on a 16-2 run over the next 7:04 to take a commanding 41-27 lead. Cody Silker (Fairmont, Minn.) ended the run and RU's 7:22 scoreless drought with a three with 7:02 left.

That three sparked an 11-2 run by the Highlanders, cutting the deficit to five with 2:20 left. After a pair of missed free throws (33% for the game) by Radford that would have cut the lead to three, a Crystal Brown runner at 1:06 put the nail in the coffin. The Lady Chants would hold on a make some free throws down the stretch to take home the win.
Radford outrebounded Coastal, 43-38, but turned the ball over 16 times, compared to only 11 by CCU. Amanda Neby (Plymouth, Minn.) was held to under 10 points for the first time this season, netting nine points. Silker ended the game with eight points. Crystal Brown tied for game high with nine rebounds for the Lady Chants.

The Highlanders will be back in action on Saturday when they host Charleston Southern at 3 p.m. Coastal Carolina will travel up to Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday as well to take on Liberty at 7 p.m.