Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC--Dequesha McClanahan scored six  of her game-high 22-points in the waning minutes and Tiffany Charles connected on four free throws in the final 41 seconds to clinch a 67-62 Big South Conference win over Radford at the Winthrop Coliseum Saturday afternoon.

With the victory Winthrop (18-10, 12-4) remains in the second place in the league standings and tied last year's school record for most conference wins in a season.  The Eagles have an opportunity to set a new mark as they will close out the regular season with two home games next week against Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville.  

McClanahan was joined in double figures by three other Eagles.  Freshman center Schaquilla Nunn collected her 12th double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  She also blocked six Highlander shots and went 8 of 11 from the floor.  Taylor Calvert and Charles finished with 10 points each.

"It was a gritty win and a total team effort," said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook.  "We withstood their early barrage.  They were shooting lights out and we told the team to hang in there, that we took their best shot and weren't going to keep shooting it like that" 

Cook went on to say that he couldn't ask for much more from his team that had second-leading scorer Diana Choibekova sitting out for the third straight game with a sprained ankle and Samiya Wright at less than a 100 percent. 

After leading 32-30 at halftime, Winthrop built a nine-point lead at 48-39 when Charles drove into the lane for a 12-foot pull-up jumper, but the Eagles let that advantage disappear over the next three minutes and 50 seconds as Radford ((13-12, 8-8) went on a 16-4 run to take its first lead since midway through the first half. Ashley Buckhannon's fourth 3-pointer of the game out of the left corner gave the Highlanders a 55-52 lead  with 6:41 left in the game.  

McClanahan, the league's scoring and assist leader, then went to work.  She scored nine of Winthrop's next 11 points to give the Eagles a 63-59 lead with 1:33 remaining.  Following a steal and jumper in the lane by Buckhannon, who finished the day as RU's leading scorer with 19 points, the Eagles lead was down to two points with less than a minute left.  Charles was fouled with 41 ticks left on the clock and calmly drained both free throws to give Winthrop some breathing room at 65-61.  Buckhannon was fouled, but made one of two free throws with 25 seconds left to make it a one possession game.  But with the Highlanders chasing Winthrop all over the floor trying to trap and make a steal, Winthrop got the ball to Charles who was fouled with nine seconds left.  Her two free throws sealed the deal.

Charles' performance drew special praise from the Winthrop coach. "Tiffany Charles is an excellent team member.  She never complains.  Ten points, four of four from the free throw line when it counted.  She got it done," said Cook.

The biggest play of the game came with just over three minutes left after Radford had called a timeoot and leading 59-57.  McClanahan stole the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court for an uncontested lay-up to tie the game.  She followed that play on Winthrop's next possession with on a 12-foot baseline jumper to give the Eagles a 61-59 lead with 2:16 left on the clock.   She scored her sixth straight point following a key block by Nunn after taking the ball into the lane and hitting a nifty jumper in traffic.

"She just refused to let us lose," Cook said about McClanahan.  "She made the key play of the game with the steal and lay-up.  She is special player."

Radford started the game off shooting lights out from behind the 3-point arc and enjoyed a six-point lead at 17-11 when Jordynn Gaymon scored on a lay-up at the 13:29 mark.  Winthrop then battled back with a 13-6 run over the next six minutes, 25 seconds to take a 24-23 lead on a Taylor Calvert that came off a steal and assist from McClanahan. 

Radford answered with a quick layup by Ashley Buckhannon to reclaim the lead at 25-24, but then the Eagles scored six straight points on two free rhrows by McClanahan and lay-ups by Nunn and Tiffany Charles to give Winthrop its largest lead of the first period at 30-25 with 3:07 remaining.  RU's Da'Naria Spencer connected on a 3-pointer and 15 foot jumper to close out the first half scoring.

Winthrop will face Gardner-Webb on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. while Radford will host Presbyterian that same day at 7 p.m.