January 10, 2004
BOX SCORE
RADFORD, Va. – Longwood University fell in a disappointing 75-38 loss at NCAA Division I Radford in women’s college basketball Saturday afternoon in the Dedmon Center. With the loss the Lancers fall to 10-6 on the season and end their six game winning streak, while Radford is now 7-5 on the season and improves the series record between the two schools to 16-8. Longwood will return to action Monday at 5 p.m. in Lancer Hall, as the Lancers host Francis Marion of South Carolina.
At Radford, the two teams remained close early, tying three times and changing the lead four times in the first half. The host school got on the board first and jumped out to a 10-5 advantage before junior All-American candidate Marita Meldere/Rujiena, Latvia (Lynchburg Christian) hit a field goal and four consecutive free throws to give the Lancers their first lead (11-10) of the contest at 11:47. The Highlanders quickly responded and took back the lead (13-13) at the eight-minute mark on a pair of field goals. Sophomore Jessica Wilkerson/Roanoke, Va. (Northside) sparked a short Lancer-run with 7:42 remaining in the half that would give the visiting squad the 15-13 lead – an advantage the Lancers would hold briefly before Radford took the lead back on a 15-6 run over the final 4:44 to end the first session with a 32-23 lead. Following the intermission, the host school never looked back – outscoring the Lancers 43-15 in the second half, while stretching the margin by as many as 37 points to close out the contest.
Junior Catherine Dunn/Aberdeen, N.J. (St. John Vianney) paced the Lancers with her 11 points on 4-6 shooting, including one three pointer in just 21 minutes of play. Meldere also added 11 points, while grabbing a team-best nine rebounds – marking the 14th time she has led the team in rebounding this season. Longwood was held to just 26.4 percent (14-53) from the field and 40.9 percent (9-22) from the line – 30 percent lower than the Lancers season average.
Amanda Neby led the Highlanders with her game-high 20 points and nine rebounds, while Taryn Causey added 12 points and five steals to secure the home win. Radford shot 50.9 percent (28-55) from the floor, including 31.3 percent (5-16) from beyond the arc, while netting 14 of 18 attempts (.778) at the line.
