No. 2 Radford Survives No. 7 Gardner-Webb to Reach Semifinals
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Radford's second straight quarterfinal meeting with Gardner-Webb had a Twilight Zone effect as the Highlanders squeaked out a 53-51 victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs Friday night, advancing to the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
BOX SCORE
POSTGAME REACTION
A season ago, Radford held off Gardner-Webb 54-51 on March 10, 2017 in the quarterfinals as the Highlander defense shined in the closing moments of the win. This time around, the ending was eerily similar, except Radford needed to battle back for the victory.
The game saw 12 lead changes and 12 ties, which totaled 11:39 of the 40-minute battle. In the fourth quarter alone, there were four ties as the Highlanders knotted the game each time.
Radford's defense held Gardner-Webb without a field goal for the final 4:13 of regulation as Alexus Hill's layup handed the Runnin' Bulldogs a 50-48 advantage. The Highlanders quickly knotted the game off a nifty move and layup from Claudia Quevedo 20 seconds later. Quevedo added five of her team-high 12 points in the final frame
With 1:42 remaining in regulation, Tierra Huntsman was fouled on a drive to the basket as she went to the free throw line with a chance to put Gardner-Webb up. Huntsman made only one free throw and Radford's defense forced a Gardner-Webb hurried attempt off the offensive rebound with the shot clock winding down.
The Highlanders raced across the half court line, calling a timeout. Dominating the paint all night, Radford head coach Mike McGuire sketched a play on his whiteboard for the conference's defensive player of the year.
A rough night offensively for Jayda Worthy, she compiled with the play and got the ball at the top of the key off the inbounds pass. Worthy drove on the right side, letting go of a high arcing floater off the top of the glass as the kiss fell in to put Radford ahead 52-51.
Stymieing the Runnin' Bulldog offense down the stretch, Radford's defense forced an awkward layup attempt by Hill as Destinee Walker pulled down the rebound. With a free throw game in front of them, Quevedo was fouled with 19.0 seconds left on the clock, making the backend of the two free throws for a 53-51 lead.
Following a timeout, Gardner-Webb's point guard Ky'Asia Stanford received two opportunities in the final seconds, however Radford towered in the paint. The Highlanders came out of an array of diving bodies with the loose ball rebound, dribbling out the clock to survive and advance.
Radford' second half comeback came after they trailed 27-22 at the break and shooting 21.4 percent in the first 20 minutes. Radford's veteran group appeared unfazed, opening the third quarter with a 9-3 swing. The Highlanders made 7 of 10 attempts in the quarter, outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs 17-12 in the quarter.
Radford's defense held Gardner-Webb scoreless for a span of 5:16 after watching the deficit grow to six points. Held to only four points in the first 20 minutes, Destinee Walker knocked down back-to-back jumpers in the final 45 seconds to knot the game at 39 after three quarters.
Walker finished with 12 points on 6 of 10 shooting, adding four more points in the fourth quarter.