Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop women's basketball won for the sixth time in seven games as the team shot 58 percent in the second half in a 65-55 victory over Radford, Saturday evening in Big South Conference action.
Winthrop improves to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in the Big South while Radford suffers its first conference loss and is now 3-1 in the league and 6-11 overall.
Dequesha McClanahan's lay-up with 1:31 remaining helped secure the team's win as she grabbed the rebound on the defensive end and went coast-to-coast for the lay-up and a 62-55 lead. From there, Kaitlyn Rubino hit three of four free throws for the 10-point win.
Winthrop led by 10 points after Ashley Cox hit a jumper with 3:50 left, but the lead was cut to five points quickly after an Da'Naria Erwin Spencer drained a three and had an easy lay-in after Victoria Hamilton stole the ball from McClanahan, fell on her back and led Erwin Spencer up court with a pass.
The lead extended back to eight as McClanahan found a wide open Lacey Lyons in the corner, who drained a three. Brooke McElroy answered right back with a three to keep the margin at five points. That was the last basket the Highlanders hit as they finished the game 0-for-7 from the field and had four offensive rebounds. Erwin Spencer stepped the foul line with 1:38 left to make it a one possession game, but missed both free throws.
After shooting 30 percent from the floor in the first half and trailing by one at the break, Winthrop shot 58 percent from the floor in the second half for the second time in three games.
The two teams battled back and forth in the first half as the score was tied seven times and there were six lead changes. Radford led at the half, 28-27, but the Lady Eagles rallied for the third time this season after trailing at the half.
The game was tied at 25-25 with 1:23 left in the first after two free throws by McClanahan, but Ashley Buckhannon's three with 1:11 remaining put the Highlanders up three. McClanahan made two more free throws with eight second left as she was fouled going all the way to the hoop.
Erwin Spencer led all scorers with 24 points as she finished the game 9-for-20 and also had four assists and four steals. She was the only Highlander in double-figures, but Buckhannon added eight points off the bench.
McClanahan paced Winthrop with 21 points for her second career 20-point game as she was 6-for-13 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. She also had four rebounds and three assists. Rubino's 13 points matches her career-best in a Big South contest as she was 5-for-8 from the field and had nine rebounds. TaQuoia Hammick, who played a big part in the win, scored seven of her nine points in the second half. Lyons added eight points while Mary Hathaway finished with five points and nine rebounds.
Winthrop will be back in action on Monday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. when it hosts Presbyterian College. Radford remains on the road as it will travel to Lynchburg, VA to take on Liberty at 7 p.m. on Monday.
