Box score (PDF)
RADFORD, Va.- Olivia Parker scored 16 points and hauled down 16 boards but Aisha Foy's three-pointer with 28.5 seconds left gave Radford its first lead of the game as the Highlanders used a spirited fourth quarter fun, outscoring the Gardner-Webb women's basketball team 17-7 in a 54-51 victory Tuesday evening in the Dedmon Center.
Gardner-Webb led the entire game until Foy's three pointer with just under 30 seconds left. The Highlanders used great defense in the final quarter to propel them to victory, as Parker scored a layup to put the Runnin' Bulldogs up 49-41 lead with 7:07 remaining, but the Highlanders held GWU scored until the 2:14 mark on Parker's 16th point of the game.
With the victory, Radford improves to 12-11 overall and 8-6 in Big South play, while Gardner-Webb falls to 15-9 and 9-4 in conference action.
The Runnin' Bulldogs outrebounded RU 46-33 and hit 9-of-13 from the free-throw line, but Radford hit 5-of-18 from behind the three-point line and shot 40.0% in the second half while limiting GWU to just 21.6%.
Candace Brown also was in double-figures for the Runnin' Bulldogs with 11 points and also grabbed nine rebounds, while Foy and Gabby Gilmore each had 14 to pace the Highlander attack.
Parker scored a layup to open the scoring for GWU at the 9:07 mark and Gardner-Webb would lead for the entire quarter. The Runnin' Bulldogs would lead by as much as five on three different occasions in the first 10 minutes, but Rachael Ross' jumper with 14 seconds left made the score 15-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was quite similar to the first as GWU would hold the lead for the entire quarter. Radford cut the defecit to one on a three pointer by Gilmore to make the score 21-20 and once again on a jumper by Ross with 3:20 left.
Gardner-Webb would end the half on a 7-2 run over the final 3:20 of the quarter and Evelyn Adebayo's two free-throws with just three seconds left in the half sent the Runnin' Bulldogs to the halftime break leading 30-24.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had an impressive half shooting the ball, knocking down 12-of-21 attempts and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line and held the Highlanders to 11-of-28 (39.3%) and just one free-throw attempt in the opening 20 minutes.
Brown's two-free throws pushed gave Gardner-Webb its largest lead of the third quarter 42-31, but Foy gave a great pass to Sydney Nunley who converted a layup as the buzzer sounded to cut the defecit to seven (44-37) heading into the final quarter.
A layup by Parker followed up by Brown's free-throw extended the GWU lead to 47-37, but Radford continued to chip away at the lead getting to within one point with 1:12 left on Janayla White's layup.
Lydia Rivers rejected Tierra Huntsman's attempt with 46 seconds remaining in regulation giving the ball back to the Highlanders, as they would call their final timeout and advance the ball past midcourt.
On the ensuing play, Foy was the recipient of a great pass by Rivers, and Foy drained a long three point attempt to give the Highlanders their first lead.
Gardner-Webb continued to foul and put Foy on the line with a chance to put the game out of reach. Foy made the first but missed the second, as Brown snagged the rebound and GWU called its final timeout, advancing the ball past midcourt.
Gardner-Webb drew up a play, but Huntsman's attempt was no good as Radford would complete the comeback with the 54-51 victory.
The Runnin' Bulldogs return to action Saturday when they travel to High Point to take on the Panthers at 4:00 p.m.
