Radford Slips Past Pirates in Overtime
 
HAMPTON, Va. (Dec. 18, 2025) … In a back-and-forth game that saw 11 ties and 13 lead changes, Radford (8-6) slipped past Hampton (6-5) 73-67 in overtime. Both teams had opportunities to win in the closing seconds of regulation, but the Highlanders turned the ball over with eight seconds left and Hampton missed a possible game-winning shot to send the game into an extra period.

In overtime, Radford was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and made four lay-ups to hold off the Pirates. A crowd of 1,072, including many local students, attended the game providing an exciting atmosphere.

Aisha Dabo scored a career-high 27 points to keep the Pirates in the game. After scoring just six points in the opening half, she exploded for 21 the remainder of the game and also grabbed seven rebounds. Le'Asia Foreman tied her career high with 14 rebounds, while Aaryn Battle had 10 points and a career-high eight assists and Kayla Lezama added 12 points.

Hampton bolted to a 9-3 lead in the first three minutes of the contest before Radford stormed back. A 10-2 run gave the Highlanders a 13-11 lead with 1:29 left in the opening quarter on a driving lay-up by Joi Williams. Lezama canned a three-pointer with :44 left and the Pirates led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The Pirates struggled in the second quarter with just three baskets and 30 percent shooting from the field. Hampton was guilty of 10 turnovers in the first half and Radford dominated inside play. Eight of Radford's 11 first-half buckets were in the paint as the Highlanders led 29-24 at intermission.

Lezama had seven points in the first half to lead the Pirates while teammates Dabo (six points) and Olivia Smith (five) kept Hampton close. Foreman was a force on defense and garnered nine of Hampton's 20 first-half rebounds. For Radford, Williams led the way with 10 first half points.

The Radford lead grew to eight, 36-28, with 8:53 left in the third quarter. But baskets by Dabo, Kiki McElrath, a trey by Smith and two Lezama free throws put the Pirates on top 37-36 with 4:12 left in the quarter. Back-to-back layups gave the Highlanders a 44-40 lead in the third quarter's final minute. But a Battle trey in the closing seconds made it 44-43 in favor of Radford after the period.
 
Dabo hit a long three-pointer to start the fourth quarter to put the Pirates ahead 46-44. The lead continued to change hands and, with 4:55 left, the score was knotted 52-52. Later, trailing 55-52, Dabo went to work with back-to-back buckets.

Tied 59-59, a McElrath steal with 8.3 seconds left set up a last-second shot. But Hampton's attempt missed the mark sending the game into overtime.

Battle's layup to start overtime period gave Hampton a short-lived 61-59 lead. But Radford worked the ball inside and the Highlanders were perfect from the charity stripe holding off a Hampton rally.

The contest with Radford was Hampton's last game before an 11-day holiday break. The Pirates play at Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 29 before hosting Stony Brook on Jan. 2 in the first CAA game of the season.