RADFORD BACK IN ACTION SATURDAY TO HOST UNC WILMINGTON

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SETTING THE STAGE

Following its longest break of the season, Radford returns to the court Saturday afternoon as it welcomes UNC Wilmington for a non-conference men's basketball game.
Tipoff inside the Dedmon Center is set for 4 p.m.
Series: UNC Wilmington leads, 4-3
Last meeting: UNC Wilmington 64, Radford 50 (Dec. 18, 2010)
The home team has won all seven previous games between the programs, which have met just twice since 2002.
The Highlanders' last win was a 76-68 decision on Feb. 20, 2010.
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HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 6-5
Radford faces the first of two straight tests against fellow mid-major opponents with winning records.
The Highlanders' 39-point first half against Howard was their highest scoring of the season, while the 92 points they finished with were the most since the 96-92 victory at Oregon State in the 2014 CBI.
Rashun Davis ranks among the top seven in the Big South in five categories, including first in assists (5.1) and seventh in scoring (14.5). He is also third in free-throw percentage (80.4), fourth in steals per game (1.7) and fourth in assist/turnover ratio. His 56 total assists rank 33rd nationally.
Cameron Jones is averaging 17.7 points and shooting 50 percent over the last three games, making 10 of 19 3-pointers. He is fifth in the conference in 3-point percentage (42.9), seventh in made 3-pointers per game (2.5) and 16th in scoring (13.1).
Coming off his 27-point explosion against Howard, Ed Polite, Jr. is now averaging 10.7 per game. He is tied for first in the Big South with 40 offensive rebounds, along with Preseason Player of the Year John Brown, and stands 32nd in NCAA at 3.6 per game. The freshman is 12th in the league in overall rebounding (6.0 rpg) and tied for third in blocks (13).
As a team, Radford is averaging 16.2 offensive rebounds over the last five games and leads the conference at 14.5 per contest, good for 27th nationally.
Brandon Holcomb recorded his 125th career blocked shot against Howard, taking over third place alone in RU history.
Davis needs five assists to tie R.J. Price for fifth on the program's career list, while YaYa Anderson is one 3-pointer away from tying for sixth in that category.
Radford is just 18-44 all-time against CAA programs and is looking to end a four-game losing streak. Its last victory came over Delaware in Mike Jones' first game as head coach.

SCOUTING UNC WILMINGTON

Record: 5-2
UNC Wilmington has played as many games this season as Radford did in November alone.
The Seahawks started with five straight wins – the most impressive a 21-point decision at East Tennessee State - but are coming off consecutive road losses at Georgetown (87-82) and East Carolina (78-73). Against the Hoyas, UNCW trailed by 25 with just over eight minutes to play before rallying to within three in the final minute.
Head coach Kevin Keatts was the CAA Coach of the Year after leading a dramatic turnaround last season – his first at the school. The Seahawks shared the conference regular-season title, doubled their victory total and posted their first winning campaign in seven years.
Keatts previously served as associate head coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino. Prior to that, he led Hargrave Military Academy to a pair of national championships.
UNC Wilmington leads the nation in turnover margin (+8.4) and is third in steals per game (10.6), while forcing over 20 turnovers per contest.
The Seahawks average 85.7 points per game, but have only two players in double figures individually.
Chris Flemmings, a 6-foot-5 redshirt junior guard, leads the way at 15.1 ppg and is averaging 18.6 over the last five games, despite coming off the bench in four of them.
Redshirt senior guard Craig Ponder is second at 13.3 points, followed by fellow backcourt players Jordan Talley and Denzel Ingram at 9.3 and 9.0, respectively.
6-foot-7 forward Marcus Bryan is UNCW's top offensive inside threat, averaging 7.9 points, along a team-high 6.4 rebounds.
UNC Wilmington is shooting 45 percent from the field, but despite being perimeter-oriented, just 28 percent on 3-point attempts.

UP NEXT

Radford makes its final non-conference roadtrip of the season, traveling to Chattanooga for a rare Tuesday afternoon clash before the holiday.
Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at McKenzie Arena.

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Players Mentioned

#10 R.J. Price: G; 5' 11"; Senior

#11 YaYa Anderson: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#5 Rashun Davis: G; 5' 11"; Senior

#55 Brandon Holcomb: C; 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior

#3 Cameron Jones: G; 6' 4"; Senior; Brunswick CC

#24 Ed Polite, Jr.: F; 6' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#10 R.J. Price
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

#11 YaYa Anderson
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#5 Rashun Davis
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

#55 Brandon Holcomb
: 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior
: C

#3 Cameron Jones
: 6' 4"; Senior; Brunswick CC
: G

#24 Ed Polite, Jr.
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: F