Furman 64, High Point 62

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Sarah Durdaller and Teshia Griswold combined to score Furman’s final eight points to help the Paladins erase a four-point deficit en route to a 64-62 victory over High Point in women’s basketball action Tuesday evening at Timmons Arena.

Durdaller, a sophomore forward, scored 11 of her career high 25 points in the second half and claimed six rebounds to pace Furman (2-0) while Griswold, a senior guard, added 20 points, highlighted by a 6-for-7 performance at the free throw line.

After Erin Reynolds connected with a 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining to give High Point (1-1) a 62-58 lead, Durdaller followed a Griswold miss with an offensive rebound and jump shot to make it a two-point game.  Reynolds was then whistled for her fifth foul on the ensuing possession, putting Griswold at the line, where she drained both free throws to tie the contest at 62-62.

On High Point’s next trip down the floor Furman’s Brittany Hodges blocked a shot by Tayler Tremblay into the hands of the Paladins’ Brigid Morrissey.  After a timeout and another foul on High Point, Griswold sank two more free throws to put the Paladins up, 64-62 with 20 second remaining.

Furman failed to put the game away with two free throw chances with six seconds to go, but an off balance bank shot by Tremblay in the last second barely scraped the side of the backboard as time expired.

The Paladins trailed by as many as seven points at 49-42 with just over 11 minutes to go, but a 3-pointer and jump shot by Griswold and Duradaller trey over the next two minutes keyed an 8-0 run that gave Furman a 50-49 lead — its first of the second half — with 9:02 to play.

A Tremblay jump shot with just under three minutes to go put High Point up 59-56 lead, but Furman battled back behind Durdaller and Griswold, who combined to register the Paladins’ eight points to secure the victory.

Furman claimed the win mainly by outscoring High Point 26-9 on points off turnovers, forcing the Panthers into 23 miscues in a physical, mostly half court game.  The Paladins also claimed a seven-point differential at the free throw line, converting 17-of-24 chances to High Point’s 10-of-18, which helped offset the Panthers’ 45-31 rebounding advantage.

Both teams shot to a virtual draw from the field, with Furman converting 41.5 percent of its attempts (22-of-53) to High Point’s 40 percent (24-of-60).

Durdaller’s 25 points included 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 work at the free throw line.  Griswold, meanwhile, connected on 6-of-11 shots, including two of Furman’s three 3-pointers.

Stacia Robertson matched Tremblay with 13 points to lead High Point, which got nine points and 10 rebounds from Cheyenne Parker.  Erin Reynolds, meanwhile, was limited to eight points after topping 20 points in each of her last six games.

Furman returns to action on Sunday when plays its first road contest of the 2012-13 season at Troy.  Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. ET (2:00 CT).

Radford 76, UNCG 64

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG women's basketball team cut an 18-point deficit down to seven in the second half, but came up short Tuesday night as Radford recorded a 76-64 nonconference win at Fleming Gymnasium.

Freshman Lucy Mason scored in double figures for the second time in as many games, netting 16 to lead three Spartans in double figures. Juniors Janae Stevenson and Jarae Savage added 13 and 12 points while senior Sidnei Harmon pulled down a team-best seven rebounds. Stevenson posted three blocked shots during the contest, increasing her career total to 77 – just four away from fourth place on the program top 10 chart.

Both teams forced 23 turnovers and posted 12 steals, but the Highlanders ended up with a 17-8 advantage in assists. Radford also received a good amount of support from its bench as the reserves netted 41 points. The Highlanders fired at a 42-percent clip from the field while UNCG hit 36-percent of it attempts. On the glass, Radford enjoyed a 47-40 advantage with both squads picking up 17 offensive boards.

Mason scored the game's first basket with a layup just 41 seconds into the game. However, the Highlanders rolled off nine-straight points over the next three minutes to take control. UNCG responded behind Mason, as she produced five points during a 7-2 run that cut the deficit to two points at 11-9.

Radford was able to exploit the Spartan defense in transition over the next several minutes, scoring some easy buckets off the fast break to build a 31-17 cushion with just under eight minutes before the half. UNCG was unable to cut into the advantage as a Jordynn Gaymon layup gave the Highlanders their largest lead of half at 38-20.

As the half wore down, the Spartans found their offensive touch, out-scoring Radford 13-6 over the final 4:28. A Mason layup as the period expired made the score 44-33 at the break.

Mason and Savage paced UNCG in the first 20 minutes with nine and eight points respectively. Stevenson led the charge defensively with four rebounds and a pair of blocks. The Highlanders shot 46 percent in the half while limiting the Spartans to a 39-percent showing and forcing the home team into 14 turnovers.

Savage and Mason recorded back-to-back layups as the second half began, slicing the Radford lead to 44-37. The Highlanders held UNCG scoreless over the next three minutes, pushing their advantage back to 13 points at 50-37 on an Ayana Avery layup.

Radford built its lead all the way up to 17 points with 8:45 remaining in the contest before the Spartans made one last charge. UNCG would out-score the Highlanders 17-7 down to the 2:05 mark and trailed by just seven at 69-62 when Harmon dropped in a free throw. A turnover was the result on the Highlanders' next possession, but Mason misfired on a three-pointer and Ashley Buckhannon sank a pair of free throws to give the visitors an insurmountable nine-point advantage.

The Blue and Gold remains at home and returns to action Saturday, Nov. 17 for its first-ever meeting with Gardner-Webb. Tipoff at Fleming Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m.