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Radford University Athletics

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86
UNC Asheville AVL 12-6, 5-1 BSC
91
Winner Radford RAD 10-8, 3-3 BSC
UNC Asheville AVL
12-6, 5-1 BSC
86
Final
91
Radford RAD
10-8, 3-3 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
UNC Asheville AVL 47 30 9 86
Radford RAD 40 37 14 91

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD RALLIES TO UPEND UNC ASHEVILLE IN OT, 91-86



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 91, UNC Asheville 86
  • Records: Radford (10-8, 3-3) | UNC Asheville (12-6, 5-1)
  • Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
RADFORD, Va. – Radford overcame a late five-point deficit to force overtime and made the key plays down the stretch in the extra period to hand UNC Asheville its first Big South Conference loss, a 91-86 decision Thursday night at the Dedmon Center.
 
Taj Owens hit a pull-up jumper as the shot clock was winding down to put the Highlanders up for good 87-85 with 1:24 left in overtime. After Asheville made one of two free throws, Rashun Davis was fouled and hit a pair to make it a three-point game with 19 ticks left. Bulldogs' leading 3-point shooter Dylan Smith then misfired on an attempt from behind the arc and Owens sunk two more at the line to seal the victory.
 
Davis led four Highlanders in double figures with 16 points and dished out eight assists, including three in overtime. He also tied a career-high with five steals. Ed Polite, Jr. posted his third double-double, tallying 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. All of the freshman's points and 10 of the rebounds came in the second half and overtime.
 
With Will Weeks scoring eight straight Asheville points over a two-minute stretch, the Bulldogs led 77-72 with just over a minute to play before Davis converted a short jumper into a three-point play and then forced a turnover on the other end and turned it into a game-tying layup.
 
Radford scored on its first four possessions of the overtime period, with each basket coming off an assist – three by Davis and one by YaYa Anderson. Polite had four of the eight points. Asheville kept answering as Weeks tied the game at 85-85 with 2:21 to go. However, the Highlanders' defense held the Bulldogs without a basket the rest of the way.
 
Both teams shot the ball well in a fast-paced first half. It was back and forth on the scoreboard before UNC Asheville surged ahead with 36-29 with 6:37 left, despite RU hitting 60 percent of its attempts from the field at that point. The Highlanders fought back with a 7-0 run as Anderson, Davis and Owens converted layups, and eventually took a one-point lead on two free throws by Cameron Jones. However, the Bulldogs scored seven straight points to take a 47-40 lead at the break as RU went scoreless over the final 2:45.
 
Asheville then scored the first four points of the second half to build an 11-point advantage – its biggest of the game. Radford, rallied again, using a 16-2 run over a span of 4:11 to take a 58-54 lead. Five players contributed to the spurt, with Kion Brown scoring six. He totaled 14 in the game, with 11 of them coming after halftime.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Radford improved to 7-1 this season after a loss and 3-0 in overtime games this season, while staying unbeaten at home in Big South play.
  • Cameron Jones led RU in the first half with 10 of his 15 points. He also was second on the team in rebounds for the game with six.
  • Seven Highlanders contributed at least eight points, with Owens, Anderson and Justin Cousin each tallying that amount. Anderson added five rebounds and three assists.
  • Along with six points, Brandon Holcomb grabbed three rebounds, giving him 501 for his career. He became the 24th player in Big South Conference history to total at least 500 boards and 100 blocked shots.
  • Radford shot 52 percent (36 of 69) for the game and made 14 of its 16 free throws, while recording 19 assists.
  • Asheville finished at 44 percent, including 9 of 21 on 3-point attempts. The Bulldogs went to the free throw line 25 times, but converted just 17.
  • The Highlanders won despite committing 17 turnovers which led to 20 Asheville points.
  • However, RU had a 42-36 rebounding advantage and outscored the Bulldogs 52-42 in the paint.
  • Polite, Jr., who came in ranked second in the nation among freshmen in offensive rebounds per game, did most of his damage on the defensive glass, totaling 11. He also recorded three blocks.
  • Weeks, a junior forward averaging 6.8 ppg off the bench, finished with a game-high 23, hitting 10 of 14 from the field.
  • Five other Bulldogs scored in double figures, with Smith tallying 18. However, reigning Big South freshman of the Week Dwayne Sutton was held to just one point – 11 below his average.
  • The loss snapped Asheville's five-game win streak and was just its second defeat since November.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "This was a great college basketball game. UNC Asheville came into the game playing as well as anybody in the league. They present such a problem because they play a small lineup. I thought our guys were resilient. Over the course of the game, we never got down when things weren't going our way. Our guys stayed with it and we were able to get a great result. I thought we had a great mindset to share the ball and get really good shots. Down the stretch, we kept driving and found open guys off of it, which was really nice to see. This was a big game and our guys knew that. It's nice to get a win like this and stay in the hunt." ~ Radford head coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford turns around quickly and heads back out on the road for a Saturday night matchup at Presbyterian College.
  • Tipoff at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C. is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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