Presbyterian College vs. Radford
Thursday, January 8 - 5 p.m.
Templeton Center - Clinton, S.C.
Live Stats | Live Video
PC Game Notes | Radford Game Notes
**Wear your best beach attire to Thursday's doubleheader! The top two best-dressed each win a FREE trip to Myrtle Beach courtesy of VisitMyrtleBeach.com!**
CLINTON, S.C. - Presbyterian College returns to Laurens County for its first home game of 2015 when the Blue Hose host the Radford Highlanders at 5 p.m. The game marks the first of a Blue Hose doubleheader before the PC men's team hosts Winthrop at 7:30 p.m. PC will look to get back to .500 in the Big South following a 59-42 loss at Liberty on Monday and face a tough test in the surging Highlanders, winners of two straight. PC could jump Radford in the Big South standings with a win ahead of a Saturday trip to a slumping Coastal Carolina team.
Radford enters Thursday's game with an 11-4 edge in the all-time series, but all of PC's wins have come in the last six meetings and the Blue Hose swept the Highlanders last season for the first time ever. The Highlanders won the first nine games of the series before PC grabbed its first victory in 2012. The Blue Hose used a late rally to push past Radford on the road in the last meeting of 2013-14, taking advantage of a career-high 22 points from Keyonna Allen. A win against Radford would give PC three in a row, its longest active streak against any Big South Conference opponent.
Radford brings a two-game winning streak to the Templeton Center following Big South Conference wins against Gardner-Webb (76-60) and Charleston Southern (53-51). The Highlanders can even up their 2-3 road record and lead the Big South in three-point shooting, hitting at a 32.5 percent clip from distance. Ayana Avery leads the team with 10.8 points per game while Jordynn Gaymon pulls down 7.7 rebounds per game.
Over the last five games, freshman Janie Miles leads the team with 9.0 points per game. Keyonna Allen's 6.4 rebounds pace PC in that category while Cortney Storey averages 3.0 assists per outing and Aianna Kelly has contributed 8.0 points and 5.8 boards during that span.
PC led early in its Monday night road contest at Liberty, but the Flames pulled away for a 59-42 win at the Vines Center. Aianna Kelly led all players with a career-high 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half. Rebecca Walker followed with 11 points while Elizabeth Landers and Keyonna Allen split the rebounding lead with five apiece. The Flames overcame cold shooting to open the game but recovered for a 28-21 halftime lead. PC ran into trouble inside as Liberty outscored PC 22-6 in the paint and scored 23 points off turnovers to PC's five.
PC battled back from a 10-point game-opening deficit against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs to earn a 69-57 Big South Conference victory on Saturday afternoon. Cortney Storey matched her career-high with 15 points while Aianna Kelly added 14 and Rebecca Walker matched her season-best with 12. PC shot 51.3 percent from the field and cashed in at the free-throw line, going 25-for-32 (78.1 percent).
The Blue Hose boast the nation's third-ranked scoring defense through Tuesday's games, holding opponents to an average of 49.3 points per game. Charlotte set a new season-high for opponents on December 18 with 66 points, but PC bounced back two days later to hold NC Central to only 33 points.
PC also ranks 10th in the country in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 33.4 percent of their shots. PC has held 12 of its 14 opponents to under 40 percent from the field this season after limiting UNC Asheville 37.3 percent (19-for-51) on Saturday. The team accomplished that feat 22 times last season with a 9-13 record, allowing over 40 percent only eight times. The Blue Hose also rank fifth in the country in three-point field goal defense, allowing only 22.8 percent of shots from distance.
PC boasts a 5-0 record at home after the team's Saturday win over UNC Asheville. The Blue Hose hold opponents to 29.1 percent shooting at the Templeton Center and average a rebounding margin of +13.4. The team has maintained a winning record at home in each of the last three seasons, beginning in 2011-12.
The Blue Hose head to Coastal Carolina for a Saturday night clash in Conway at 7 p.m. The game marks PC's final contest until January 17 at home against Longwood at 5 p.m.
