Second-Half Rally Carries Radford to first win

Radford Women first game of the season, 61-55 over Presbyterian. (WSLS)

RADFORD, Va. – Ashley Tudor scored 18 points off the bench, Bryonna McClean added 14 and Radford rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat Presbyterian, 61-55, Thursday afternoon inside the Dedmon Center. 

The win was the first of the season for the Highlanders, who have now won nine of the last 10 meetings against Presbyterian. 

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Tudor and McClean grabbed six rebounds apiece, with the former also had five steals. Tina Lindenfeld scored 10 points for Radford. Lindenfeld opened the scoring with a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the game. The Blue Hose used a 9-3 run midway through the first quarter to take the lead but a Laney Corbin jumper near the end of the opening frame put the Highlanders within four, 16-12, after the first 10 minutes. 

Presbyterian kept its lead throughout the second quarter but Radford remained in striking distance as well, never trailing by more than six in the frame. Five different Highlanders scored in the quarter, including a Danielle Montelbano 3-pointer that cut the Blue Hose lead to just two. A late 3-pointer by PC’s Jade Compton put the visitors ahead by five, 27-22, at the half. 

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Compton and Tess Santos increased PC’s lead to nine, the largest by either team in the game, midway through the third quarter. From there, the Highlanders chipped away at the lead, as Tudor, McClean and Lindenfeld led a 14-5 run to close the quarter, leaving the teams tied at 40 heading into the fourth. 

The fourth quarter became a back-and-forth affair until a Lindenfeld layup with just under four minutes left put the Highlanders ahead by three. Radford never trailed for the remainder of the game. The Blue Hose tied the game on a 3-pointer by Georgia Stockton but Radford took control of the game from there, forcing three Blue Hose turnovers over the final two minutes and limiting Presbyterian to a 1-for-7 mark from the field during that span. Radford went 9-for-12 from the line in the closing stages of the game and the trio McClean, Tudor and Lindenfeld accounted for 16 of the Highlanders’ last 17 points to seal their first win of the season. 

Compton led the visitors with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Trinity Johnson added 15 points and seven assists, while Nyah Willis also had 11 rebounds for Presbyterian. 

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”I’m really proud of how we just gutted this one out. We were down [nine] in the third quarter and made a couple of adjustments, and our ladies executed it really well. We’ve gone through a lot of adversity this year so far. It has not been easy, but our kids have battled. I’m super proud of what they’re bringing to the table and the adjustments they made today. It was very telling of what this team can become moving forward. Great win against a great team.”

- Head coach Mike McGuire on the win

”We were active, we were talking to one another, telling [each other] where the next slide would be. We were really communicating overall, which was a big step for us.”

- Senior forward Tina Lindenfeld, on what allowed Radford to force a season-high 22 turnovers