Radford University forced 26 Lynchburg turnovers, turning them into 26 points as the Highlanders cruised to a 67-27 exhibition win Sunday afternoon that saw 16 of 22 made field goals assisted on.
The Lady Highlanders placed two in double-figures as Jayda Worthy led the way with 16 points on a 6 of 9 effort from the floor, while Jen Falconer connected on three three-pointers for 11 points. All 11 Highlanders that stepped on the court scored.
The Highlanders assisted on eight field goals in each half, while Claudia Quevedo finished with a game-high nine assists.
Of the 26 turnovers forced, 16 were credited as steals with Destinee Walker tallying four, while Khiana Johnson and Quevedo finished with three each.
After a slow start by both teams, Radford forced Lynchburg to commit seven first quarter turnovers in which the Highlanders turned into nine points as they closed out the opening quarter on a 18-2 run. Falconer and Worthy combined for 13 of the points as Falconer drained two three-pointers.
The Highlanders continued their run as they started the second quarter with a 19-4 run over a nine-minute span. Radford’s defense held the Hornets to only one field goal in the final five minutes. The “Dome of Defense” held true in the first half as Radford’s defense forced 13 Lynchburg turnovers, turning them into 15 points for a 39-15 halftime lead.
Radford finished the half with a 46.4 shooting clip from the field as Worthy led with a team-high 11 points. Falconer chipped in with eight points, while Quevedo assisted on four of eight assists.
Caroline Naumann led the Hornets with all 15 first-half points, going 7 for 10 from the floor. Naumann finished with a game-high 18 points on 8 for 13 performance from the field.
In the second half, Radford’s defense held Lynchburg to 12 total points, including three in the fourth quarter on a 1 for 15 shooting performance. Offensively, five different Highlanders had four-plus points each, while eight of the nine made field goals were assisted on.
Radford finished the game on another run, this time 18-6 as the Highlanders used a total team effort for a 67-27 exhibition win over in-state Lynchburg in the final tune-up before the regular season.
Radford coach Mike McGuire thinks the game was a good measuring stick to see where his team is with the things that we have been emphasizing since September. “I liked our offensive tempo today, but if we’re going to play with that pace, our decision making will need to be worked on. On the defensive side, there are some things we need to clean up. This exhibition will give us a great week of prep for our home opener on Nov. 12,” he said.
Radford officially opens the 2017-18 season on Nov. 12, hosting Appalachian State in a 5 p.m., contest. A season ago, Radford defeated the Mountaineers 57-54 in Boone, N.C. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series 11-9.
–RU Athletics
