","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"]}} DAVIS SPARKS CLOSING RUN TO LIFT RADFORD OVER LIBERTY, 56-52 - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Davis-20151203-1
52
Liberty LIBERTY 3-5, 0-1 BSC
56
Winner Radford RAD 5-3, 1-0 BSC
Liberty LIBERTY
3-5, 0-1 BSC
52
Final
56
Radford RAD
5-3, 1-0 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Liberty LIBERTY 23 29 52
Radford RAD 30 26 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

DAVIS SPARKS CLOSING RUN TO LIFT RADFORD OVER LIBERTY, 56-52



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 56, Liberty 52
  • Records: Radford (5-3, 1-0 Big South) | Liberty (3-5, 0-1 Big South)
  • Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Rashun Davis scored the last six points of a 7-0 surge that spanned the final 2:16, which lifted the Radford men's basketball team to a 56-52 victory over rival Liberty in both teams' Big South Conference opener Thursday night at the Dedmon Center.
  • The Highlanders led the majority of the game, but Liberty got back-to-back 3-pointers to grab a three-point edge with 2:35 to play.
  • From there, Sterling Christy converted one free throw before Davis took over, making a pair at the stripe to tie it with 1:07 on the clock and banking home a go-ahead driving layup on the left side of the lane with 22 seconds left.
  • Davis then grabbed a loose ball rebound off of a miss inside by the Flames on the other end and hit two more free throws to seal it.
  • Radford also used a run at the end of the first half to create some separation, outscoring Liberty, 11-2, for a 30-23 advantage at intermission.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Davis finished with 16 points to lead Radford in scoring for the fifth time this season. He was just 4 of 12 from the field, but made all eight of his free-throw attempts, while adding five assists, four rebounds and four steals.
  • Ed Polite, Jr. scored 10 points to notch his sixth consecutive game in double figures.
  • The freshman also led the Highlanders in rebounds for the sixth time in eight contests, grabbing eight in the game. Four of those were on the offensive end, including one that led to Davis' tying free throws.
  • Five Radford players recorded at least four rebounds, helping RU to a 40-34 edge on the glass. The Highlanders turned that into a 20-6 advantage in second-chance points.
  • Cameron Jones and Darius Bolstad both added eight points and four rebounds for the Highlanders, while Sterling Christy grabbed five boards.
  • Led by the duo of Polite, Jr. and Bolstad, Radford also outscored the Flames, 21-0, off the bench.
  • The Highlanders won despite shooting just 33 percent from the field, failing to improve from the first half to the second half of a contest for the first time since the season opener.
  • The two teams combined to make just 8 of 44 3-point attempts.
  • Liberty sophomore center Evan Maxwell kept the Flames in the game by scoring a career-high 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He was 9 for 11 from the floor.
  • Just five Liberty players scored in the game, with Maxwell and Lovell Cabbil combining for 39 of the Flames' 52. Cabbil totaled 15, including both 3-pointers that gave LU its first lead of the second half.
  • The Flames shot 44 percent in the last 20 minutes to finish at 40 percent for the game, but they missed their last four attempts down the stretch.
  • Radford led for more than 32 minutes in the game, with its biggest advantage at 10 early in the second half.
  • The victory was the Highlanders' second in its last six conference openers, with the other also coming at home against Liberty. RU is now 8-7 when starting Big South play at home.
 
 
QUOTABLE
  • "It was a typical Big South game where both teams are fighting and scratching and clawing. They really stayed in the game. We had a few opportunities to stretch the lead out, but they didn't go anywhere. They battled and made some plays, but overall I thought our defense was outstanding. I thought throughout the game we made it tough. They've got some guys that can really shoot, and they have a load in (Maxwell), who we just could not guard. But overall, if you hold a team to 52 points, you're going to have a great chance to win. We knew it was going to be a tough game, so whether you win by one in triple overtime or by 20 in regulation, it doesn't matter, and we're really proud to get this first conference win." ~ Radford head coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford remains in conference play as it travels to two-time defending Big South tournament champion Coastal Carolina for a Sunday matinee.
  • Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at The HTC Center.
  • It will be the Highlanders' final trip to Conway, S.C. for a Big South contest.
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