RADFORD, Va. – Radford's Ayana Avery poured in five three pointers to lead the Highlanders to a 55-45 victory over visiting Longwood Tuesday evening inside the Dedmon Center.

Avery – the top threat from beyond the arc this season in the Big South – finished 5-of-7 from beyond the arc to score a game-high 15 points. Avery came into Tuesday's game averaging 2.43 treys per game and had three of her triples in the opening 20 minutes. The game for the sharpshooting Avery was her third of the season with five or more three-pointers.

The win improves Radford to second place in the Big South standings, as the Highlanders move their overall ledger to 14-10 and 11-4 in conference play. The Lancers fall to 3-22 overall and 3-13 in Big South play.

Despite the effort from Avery, Longwood turned in its top defensive performance of the season. The Lancers forced Radford into 29 turnovers to go along with a season-high 17 steals.

Four different Lancers recorded three or more steals, led by Raven Williams and Treasure Avery with four each. Brenna Robbins and Deborah Headen also picked up three steals apiece.  

"Radford is very good defensively and we struggled to score this evening," said head coach Bill Reinson. "Our defensive effort was very good, as we forced 29 turnovers and did a good job rebounding."

Down by 21 with 8:06 to play, 49-28, Longwood battled back to get within seven points, 52-45, with less than a minute to play. During the stretch the Lancers forced eight turnovers and converted them into 11 points. For the game, Longwood had 15 points off turnovers.

"I was very pleased that we kept battling," Reinson said. "The ladies never quit."

Williams led Longwood with 12 points to go along with four rebounds, four steals and two assists. Micaela Ellis also finished in double figures with 10 points to go along with three assists, two rebounds and one steal.

Emily Nylen – who missed the first game this season against Radford with a stomach bug – provided a solid presence defensively for Longwood. Nylen was a key component in holding Radford's freshman pair of Janayla White and Jayda Worthy to just 12 points and 13 boards combined. In the first matchup between the two teams, the pair finished with a combined 31`points and 24 rebounds.

The Lancers played the game with a short bench, as only eight players were available. Kyndal Skersick – Longwood's second leading scorer since Daeisha Brown's season ending injury – missed her second straight game. Skersick is averaging 10.7 points per contest this season.

Longwood's stretch of four straight games will come to an end as the Lancers travel to play Coastal Carolina Saturday, Feb. 14. The game is set for a 1 p.m. tip inside the HTC Center – the site of the Big South Men's and Women's Basketball Championships from March 3-8.

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