CLINTON, S.C. - Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio) scored Presbyterian College's final five points, including a three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining, to lift the women's basketball team to its fourth straight win with a 52-49 victory over Radford on Saturday afternoon at the Templeton Center.
PC evens its record at 12-12 with the win and improves to 6-7 in the Big South Conference, setting a program record for most Big South wins in a season. Radford falls to 14-11 and 8-6 in league play.
The win snaps a seven-game win streak for Radford and marks PC's first-ever win over the Highlanders. The four-game win streak also represents the longest in the team's Division I history.
PC led for only 2:24 in the second half but a late rally clinched the win. The Blue Hose defense held Radford to its lowest point total in Big South play this season.
Trailing by four with 5:06 left in the game, PC scored four straight points on a Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.) jumper and two free throws from Sherece Smith (Clemson, S.C.) to pull even at 45-45 with 3:11 to go. Another Smith jumper in the lane off of a Mariah Pietrowski (Elizabethton, Tenn.) screen put the Blue Hose back ahead, 47-45, but Ashley Buckhannon tied the game with 49 seconds on the clock, 47-47.
With the Blue Hose in the double bonus, a foul sent Stevens to the line for two free throws with 45 seconds to go. The senior sunk both, scoring her first two points of the day.
Eleven seconds later, Da'Naria Erwin Spencer hit two free throws to tie the game for the ninth and final time, 49-49.
PC sent the ball down the floor to look for an open shot. Stevens found herself open in front of the Blue Hose bench with the ball and launched a three that connected, putting PC up 52-49 with 13 seconds left.
Radford missed a three-pointer on the other end and could not get another shot off before time ran out, giving PC the win.
Taylor led PC with 13 points. Pietrowski scored 11 points and led the home team on the boards with eight rebounds while Smith scored 10 points and tallied a game-high four assists.
Erwin Spencer led Radford with 14 points on the afternoon.
The Blue Hose held Radford to 30.4 percent shooting in the second half at a nine-for-24 clip.
The first half saw a back-and-forth battle until a late Radford run gave the visitors six points of breathing room at halftime, 29-23.
The two sides tied four times and swapped the lead seven times in the first half. Neither team led by more than three until Radford broke an 18-18 tie late in the half with an 8-0 run.
The Blue Hose then scored five straight points, beginning with a Taylor floater in the lane and followed by points from Smith and Pietrowski. An Ashley Buckhannon three-pointer with 31 seconds left put the Highlanders ahead by six heading into the locker room, however, 29-23.
Taylor led the Blue Hose with eight points as PC outshot Radford in the first half, 42.9 percent (nine-for-21) to 37.1 percent (13-for-35). Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) helped keep the Highlander offense at bay, matching her season-high in blocks with three in the opening 20 minutes.
PC began the second with six straight points to erase the Radford lead.
Taylor hit a high, arcing three-pointer with 9:23 remaining to give PC its first lead of the second half, 37-36. Radford took the lead right back on an Ayana Avery layup, 38-37, and the battle continued down the stretch before the last-minute Blue Hose heroics clinched the victory.
The Blue Hose return to action on Monday when the team hosts Liberty at 7 p.m. Free live audio will be available on GoBlueHose.com and live streaming video will be available for a nominal fee via the Big South Network.
