RADFORD, Va. – Junior
Dayna Rouse of the Longwood women's basketball team secured her fifth game of the season with 20-plus points but Radford had three players finish in double figures, as the red-hot Highlanders won their ninth straight game in an 81-52 win over Longwood Saturday afternoon inside the Dedmon Center.
Rouse finished 7-of-11 from the floor, as she was nearly matched by Radford's Destinee Walker who had 20 points. Walker led the Highlanders and was joined in double figures by Sydney Nunley with 17 points and Makaila Wilson, who added 13 points, along with one steal.
Walker's performance led the Highlanders to their ninth straight win with a performance that saw Radford (17-6, 11-1 Big South) shoot .508 from the floor. The loss for the Lancers (3-20, 2-11 Big South) is their third in last five games.
"Our staff was pleased with our team's focus in the first half," said Longwood head coach
Rebecca Tillett. "We were meeting some game goals that we thought were critical to playing the current No. 1 team in our conference. In the second quarter, Radford did what they do and shared the ball and attacked us with multiple offensively sound players. Unfortunately, that trend continued in the third quarter and Radford shot .730 from the floor."
Taking a 12-point halftime lead, Radford showcased its first-place pedigree by outscoring the Lancers by a 27-12 margin to take control of the game. The Highlanders scored the first 13 points of the third quarter led by Walker, who had eight of her points in that stretch.
The Big South's top defensive team in terms of shooting percentage, the Highlanders held the Lancers to .313 shooting and a .071 shooting clip from beyond the arc.
Coming into the game as the Big South's most efficient player and among the top 10 in the NCAA in field-goal percentage, Rouse finished in double figures for the 16th time on the season including the fifth straight game, as she's averaging 20.1 points per game in her last seven games. In that stretch, the Pittsburgh, Pa., product has had four games with at least 20 points.
Kristina Antonenko finished with a near double-double performance, as she scored eight points on 4-of-8 shooting while bringing down 10 rebounds.
Mallory Odell added six points on the heels of her 21-point performance Tuesday against USC Upstate.
"We've learned that stops lead directly to our collective confidence," Tillett said. "Our recent improvements have been our team defense, our ability to share the ball and our ability to fight. We could not get all of those going at the same time tonight."
Longwood looks to win for the third time in four games at home inside Willett Hall, as the Lancers welcome UNC Asheville Tuesday, Feb. 19. That game is set for a 7 p.m. opening tip.
#GoWood
Â