","thumbnailUrl":null,"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Radford University Athletics","jobTitle":null},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Radford University Athletics","url":"https://radfordathletics.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://radfordathletics.com/images/logos/site/site.png","width":50,"height":50}},"about":null,"speakable":{"type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":["article-content","article-headline"]}} RADFORD’S SECOND-HALF RALLY VS. JAMES MADISON FALLS JUST SHORT - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
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70
Winner James Madison JMU 5-3
68
Radford RAD 4-3
Winner
James Madison JMU
5-3
70
Final
68
Radford RAD
4-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
James Madison JMU 38 32 70
Radford RAD 26 42 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD’S SECOND-HALF RALLY VS. JAMES MADISON FALLS JUST SHORT



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: James Madison 70, Radford 68
  • Records: Radford (4-3) | James Madison (5-3)
  • Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Radford men's basketball team stormed back from a 21-point second-half deficit to tie in-state foe James Madison, but the Dukes pulled back ahead in a wild final minute and held on for a 70-68 win Monday night at the Dedmon Center.
  • The Highlanders trailed 47-26 with just over 17 minutes left, but cranked up their defensive pressure and steadily whittled down their deficit, finally evening the game at 63-63 on a putback by Cameron Jones with 1:13 left.
  • James Madison retook the lead immediately on a 3-pointer by Joey McLean with 57 seconds to go and Rashun Davis' attempt to answer on the other end rimmed out.
  • After an exchange of free throws and a Davis layup, Davis was fouled and sent to the line for two with RU down by three and just 2.3 seconds to go. He made the first and missed the second intentionally. The rebound went out of bounds off of James Madison with 0.4 left, and Sterling Christy's last-chance 3-pointer was off the mark.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • After James Madison built its biggest lead, Radford started its comeback with a 13-5 spurt to build some momentum and get its full-court press going.
  • The Dukes had trouble handling it, turning it over five times in six possessions, fueling the Highlanders' 10-0 run, which got them within 57-52 with 7:25 left.
  • The deficit was still five with under two minutes to go before Ed Polite, Jr. converted a layup, Kion Brown made one free throw and Jones put back the miss on the second for the equalizer.
  • James Madison built its huge lead on the strength of hot 3-point shooting, making 5 of 12 in the first half, including three during a pivotal 15-2 run that gave the Dukes a 38-26 halftime lead. They then hit their first three attempts from long range in the second half and went on to finish 11 of 24 in the game.
  • Davis finished with a game-high 22 points, three assists and three steals for the Highlanders.
  • Polite, Jr. tallied 11 of his 14 points in the second half to spark the comeback. The freshman notched his fifth straight double-figure scoring effort, while also pulling down a team-high six rebounds.
  • As they did in their home opener, the Highlanders suffered through a cold-shooting first half, making just 8 of 26 (31 percent) from the field. RU again improved in the second stanza, shooting 53 percent to finish at a 42 percent clip for the game, although just 3 of 14 from 3-point range.
  • Radford also hurt itself at the free-throw line, making just 19 of 32, including 11 of 21 in the second half.
  • Coming off his season-high 23-point outing, Jones picked up two fouls in the game's first five minutes and had to sit out the rest of the half. He scored all seven of his points in the second half.
  • The streak of Radford's bench scoring at least 30 points came to an end at five games as the reserves contributed just 21 against the Dukes.
  • James Madison shot 46 percent in the game, just below its season average of 48, but its shooting from 3-point range made the difference.
  • Shakir Brown led the Dukes with 20 points, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. McLean was 4 of 6 from the field, including 3 of 4 behind the arc, for 13 points. Jackson Kent added three long-range shots and finished with 11 points.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "They're a really good team and they're terrific offensively, and they showed that tonight, particularly in the first half. We tried to impress upon our guys how good they are shooting the ball, but we gave them far too many open shots early on and they got confidence. The guys showed a lot of heart. They didn't drop their heads. They kept playing and they battled one possession at a time, and we were able to turn them over and create some offense off of our defense to get back in the game. Ultimately, we had some great looks that didn't go down and had our chances, but didn't get it done all the way." ~ Radford head coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford remains at home and welcomes Liberty for each team's Big South Conference opener Thursday night.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Dedmon Center.
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