Box Score RADFORD, Va. – Ashley Buckhannon had 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists to lead Radford over Norfolk State, 73-50, at the Dedmon Center on Thursday night.
NSU (1-7, 0-2) has lost seven-straight games since beating Penn, 60-51, in the season-opener on Nov. 9.
Radford struck first with a layup by Victoria Hamilton with 19:20 left in the first half.
The Spartans remained scoreless until freshman Aivah Parham hit a pair of free throws to bring NSU within two as they trailed, 4-2, with 16:30 remaining in the half.
Radford hit its stride as Aisha Foy hit back-to-back 3-pointers with 14:05 left before halftime to give the Highlanders a 10-6 lead over NSU. The Highlanders continued to dominate as Katherine Brockett nailed a 3-pointer with 7:46 on the clock to cap an 8-2 run to give Radford an 18-8 lead over NSU.
Sophomore Quineshia Leonard answered for the Spartans as she nailed a jumper with 7:25 remaining as Radford led, 18-10.
Ayana Avery's layup with 3:41 left on the clock capped an 11-0 run by Radford before halftime as the Spartans continued to trail, 29-11.
Sophomore Ebony Brown, who had a career-high 26 points and led all scorers, hit a three-pointer with 54 seconds left in the half. Brown was 4-of-7 from the 3-point line.
Radford's La'She' Walker got the layup with 21 seconds left to send the Highlanders into halftime with a 31-19 lead over the Spartans.
This was the first time this season that the Spartans did not score 20 points in the first half. The last time NSU was held under 20 points in the first half was Feb. 6, 2012 when they scored only 18 against Maryland Eastern Shore.
NSU shot only 26.9 (7-of-26) percent from the floor in the first half.
The Highlanders started the second-half off with a pair of layups from Breshara Gordon and Ema Reskoska to lead the Spartans, 35-19, with 19:04 on the clock.
A 3-pointer by Brown with 17:52 left in regulation sparked a 7-0 run for the Spartans that included free throws by Parham and senior Recca Trice, but Radford still led NSU, 38-28.
Radford continued to dominate as Gaymon nailed a jumper with 13:47 left in the game to give the Highlanders a 44-31 lead over the Spartans.
Brown continued to strike gold from behind the arc as she drilled another 3-pointer with 11:03 remaining as NSU continued to trail Radford, 47-36. Brown had 19 of the Spartans 31 points in the second half.
From there it was all Radford as Avery hit a 3-pointer to cap a 14-4 run with 6:14 on the clock to give the Highlanders a 61-43 lead over NSU.
The Spartans shot 32.1 (18-of-56) percent from the floor. They also shot 54.5 (6-of-11) percent from 3-point range. Kashay Barnes had eight points and one steal for NSU.
Aside from Buckhannon, the Highlanders had three other players in double-figures, including Victoria Hamilton, who had the only double-double of the game with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Aisha Foy had 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists while Jordynn Gaymon tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and four blocks.
Radford outscored the Spartans, 40-20 in the paint and outrebounded NSU, 41-36.
NSU will wrap up its six-game road swing on Saturday as they travel to Greensboro, N.C., to face UNC Greensboro. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. at Fleming Gymnasium.
