HIGHLANDERS ROLL TO DEDMON CENTER OPENING VICTORY

BOX SCORE Follow @RadfordMBB | Tweet #RadfordMBB

PHOTO GALLERY

RADFORD, Va. - Radford won its home opener for the 11th straight season Monday with a resounding 89-78 victory over Chattanooga. Javonte Green posted his 16th career double-double with game highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds. RU led by as many as 25 early in the second half in one of its best performances under third-year head coach Mike Jones.

"I thought especially in the first half, we played as well as we have played since I have been here," Jones said.

The Highlanders scorched the net at a 55 percent clip, including 4-8 from behind the arc. R.J. Price nailed a trey at the buzzer to push Radford's lead to 47-32 at the break. Price finished the night with nine points and six assists, but the night belonged to Green and Ya Ya Anderson.

Green poured in 15 points in the first half and then grabbed nine rebounds in the second half. Anderson finished the night with 12 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Rashun Davis chipped in with 13 points on 11-12 shooting from the freethrow line and five assists off the bench.

"We knew they were going to come out in the second half and pressure the ball to make a run," Jones said. "Our guys fought tough and at the end of the day, showed a lot of composure tonight."

The offense was clicking for the Highlanders, who scored the most points against a Division I opponent in the Jones coaching era. The previous high was an 85-point performance against High Point in the 2011-12 season.

"We really shared the ball. We didn't do that against GW, and it led to an anemic shooting performance," Jones said. "Tonight we emphasized that, and it paid off because we were unselfish and got a lot of easy shots."

The second half saw the Highlanders take complete control of the glass. After trailing 20-19 in the rebounding category at the half, RU dominated and posted an overall 45-34 advantage for the game. That led to a 15-5 edge in second chance points and a 42-16 spread in points in the paint.

For the game, RU shot 52 percent from the floor, which is the second-highest shooting percentage a Jones-coached Radford team has enjoyed in a win. The Highlanders shot 64 percent in the aforementioned win over High Point two years ago, and also shot 52 percent last year at Eastern Kentucky, but that was in a loss.

Radford extends its home opener winning streak to 11 games. The Highlanders last lost a home opener in the 2002-03 season vs. Hampton, 63-58 in overtime. In 40 years of basketball at RU, the Highlanders are now 35-5 all-time in the first game of the season played at home.

The Highlanders will look to maintain their momentum Saturday when they play host to Brevard at the Dedmon Center. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m.

Tweet #Will2Win

Print Friendly Version