VMI WINS SHOOTOUT AT DEDMON, HANDS RU FIRST LEAGUE LOSS

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RADFORD, Va. - There were a number of positive storylines Wednesday night for Radford, however, the Highlanders came up short in the most important category - a 101-88 loss to in-state Big South rival, Virginia Military Institute. This despite career highs from Rashun Davis, Kyle Noreen, a double-double from Javonte Green, and R.J. Price scoring his 1,000th career point.

The Highlanders fell for the first time at home this season (7-1) and dropped their first conference game in three tries (2-1) in large part due to a career effort by three Keydets. Rodney Glasgow, D.J. Covington, and QJ Peterson combined for 84 points with Glasgow recording a career high 36 on 13 of 16 shooting in the victory. Covington finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Peterson added 20 to match his Big South leading per game average.

Offensively, Radford clicked most of the night. Davis went 8 of 12 from the field and hit all eight free throws to finish with his career best 25 points. Noreen hit 6 of 7 from the field in his career topping 12-point performance, and Green had 20 points and 13 rebounds for his 18th career double-double. Price finished with seven points, but needed just two coming into the game to become the 21st member of the 1,000-point club at RU. Brandon Holcomb matched a season-high with 10 rebounds, and Jalen Carethers tied a career mark with four blocked shots as well.

"VMI was relentless about executing its game plan," Radford head coach Mike Jones said. "They obviously have some talented guys."

A back-and-forth game for the first 30 minutes, VMI used a 25-10 run over a seven-minute span to take control of the game. The Keydets built an 86-69 lead with 5:37 to play, and RU only cut it under double digits once in the remaining time.

"They did a good job of enforcing their will on the game, and you have to give them credit for that," Jones said. "This is a good league, and I expect nothing less than a dogfight every night, but if you give up over 100 points in any game, you aren't going to be successful."

Radford shot an astounding 92.3 percent from the free throw line (24 of 26), outrebounded the Keydets 40-35, and shot a respectable 47.6 percent from the floor. It was turnovers that killed the Highlanders. They committed 15 and only forced four from the visitors, and VMI turned that into a 21-6 advantage on the other end.

Still tied for the top spot in the Big South's North Division, Radford (12-6, 2-1) will attempt to regroup Saturday when it hosts Longwood at the Dedmon Center. Tip is set for 4:00 p.m.

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