After leading by just five at the half, the Radford Highlanders used a 21-10 third quarter to pull away from the Presbyterian College women's basketball team and take a 65-39 win in Big South action Saturday afternoon at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C. Trinity Johnson led the Blue Hose with 15 points, with Alessia Capley ahead on the boards with a career-high tying nine rebounds.
 
Scoring the game
It was a lopsided first quarter early as the Blue Hose forced five Radford turnovers, and jumped out to a 7-2 lead, helped by five points from Johnson, in the opening six and a half minutes. Two Highlanders baskets over the next two minutes, in a 4-2 run, cut the margin to three, 6-9, 33 seconds to go. Capley hit a jumper as time expired to put the home team ahead again by five, 11-6 at the end of the quarter.
 
Johnson's second three-pointer of the afternoon just over a minute into the second quarter gave PC an eight-point lead, but back to back baskets by Radford cut the margin in half, 10-14, 7:43 on the clock.  Those two baskets ignited a 15-2 run the remainder of the quarter, highlighted by five points from Tina Lindenfeld and seven from Amele Ngwafang, to send Radford into the locker room at halftime leading 21-16.
 
A Kacie Hall three-pointer and Johnson layup to open the third quarter knotted the game at 21-21, 8:05 left. Six points from Sydney Nunley in a 10-0 run the next three and a half minutes, gave Radford its largest lead of the game at 10, 21-21, 4:44 on the clock. Johnson snapped points drought with a free throw at the 4:05 mark, but Radford came back with five straight to take the lead to 14, 36-22, 2:36 to go in the third.  The Highlanders extended the lead to 16, a Ngwafang layup under a minute to play, giving the visitors the 42-26 lead at the quarter break.
 
With Radford leading by 21 a minute into the fourth quarter, Tess Santos hit her first three-pointer of the game, while Georgia Stockton added a layup to cut the deficit to 16, 47-31, 7:42 on the clock. Back to back layups and a free throw by Nunley, and a Jen Falconer three, put Radford ahead by 24, 55-31, 6:04 left in the game. PC cut the margin to 22 off back to back Santos free throws, but that would be as close as the Blue Hose would get, with Radford ending the game on an 8-4 run to win the game by a 26-point margin, 65-39.
 
Players of the Game
Trinity Johnson led the Blue Hose offense in the first half with eight points, while Tina Lindenfeld and Amele Ngwafang were tops for Radford with seven points apiece. For the game it was Johnson with 15 points, with Alessia Capley tops on the boards with a career-high nine rebounds.  Sydney Nunley finished the game leading Radford in scoring with 18 to go along with her team-leading 15 rebounds and her seventh double-double of the year.
 
Stats of the Game
Radford shot 32.0% for the half and pulled down 22 rebounds, compared to PC which shot 24.1% and posted 19 boards.  The Highlanders shot 63.6% in the fourth quarter to close out the game with 40.0% from the field.  PC shot 23.2% for the contest, pulling down 36 rebounds, compared to 43 for Radford. The Highlanders hit 21 free throws, while PC added nine. Turnovers were close with the Blue Hose recording three more, 17-14.  Radford held a 25-8 in points off those turnovers, however. Points in the paint belonged to the Highlanders as well, 32-18.
 
For the Record
PC drops to 7-13 overall and 3-8 in the Big South, while Radford improves to 9-11, 7-4.
 
Notables
Alessia Capley pulled down a career-high tying nine rebounds.
 
Up Next
The Blue Hose make the short drive up the road to Spartanburg Tuesday, Feb. 4, to take on USC Upstate in Big South action.  Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and will air live on ESPN+. Radford hosts Gardner-Webb Feb. 4, at 6 p.m., as well.