CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Radford University women’s basketball team suffered a 73-42 defeat at the hands of the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday evening. The Highlanders battled early but were ultimately overwhelmed by Virginia’s size and strong interior game.
Radford fell behind early, but baskets from Cate Carlson and Anna Stromberg brought the Highlanders within two points (11-9) at the first quarter media timeout. Though, Virginia responded with a 12-2 run to close the first quarter, establishing a 12-point lead.
Georgia Simonsen contributed early points in the second quarter,and Joi Williams’ steal and basket narrowed the deficit to 15 with under three minutes remaining before halftime. Despite the effort, Virginia maintained control, leading 42-24 at the break.
The highlanders showed flashes of resilience in the second half, highlighted by a three-pointer from Williams and a strong defensive play from Nice, leading to a basket by Ava Sawi. Despite a 6-0 run to end the third quarter, Virginia led by 21.
The fourth quarter saw increased playing time for underclassmen Sawi and Lindsee Williams, but Virginia continued to dominate, outscoring Radford 17-7 for a final margin of 31 points.
“Virginia has a lot of great size and such a strong interior presence,” said Radford Head Coach Mike McGuire. “We have to figure out the rebounding. For us to have 19 rebounds in a game is, quite frankly, unacceptable. We need to evaluate a lot of what we’re doing. I do think our team did a good job because they were missing their first shots quite often.But we just could not come up with the stop enough so we could get out in transition. Really, rebounding and turnovers (were the difference). That’s usually the case against a power four opponent.”
Radford (0-2) will return to the Dedmon Center for a two-game homestand, beginning Wednesday, November 19, against the Furman Paladins. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
