RADFORD FACES STETSON, GEORGIA SOUTHERN IN SAVANNAH

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SETTING THE STAGE

Radford wraps up its four-game road trip with a pair of neutral-site games in the Savannah Invitational, taking on Stetson Friday at 12 p.m., before facing Georgia Southern Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Series History: Radford will be facing each team for the third time in program history. The Highlanders are 1-1 against Stetson and 0-2 versus Georgia Southern. However, Radford hasn't met either opponent since 1994.
Live Stats: Stetson | Georgia Southern
Live Audio
Game Notes

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 1-3
Radford has had a different starting lineup in each of its games.
Caleb Tanner has provided the most consistent scoring for the Highlanders so far, tallying at least eight points in all four contests, including double figures twice. He is averaging 10.8 ppg and has made 11 of 26 3-point attempts.
Ed Polite, Jr. has posted three eight-rebound performances, while and leading or co-leading the team in assists in all three of his games, including a career-best four against Mercer.
Darius Bolstad provided a big lift in his first action of the season Tuesday night, totaling 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes off the bench.
Sterling Christy returned against Mercer after missing the previous two games, but played just six minutes.
In the losses to Akron and Mercer, Radford shot 23 percent in the first half and 43 percent in the second.
The Highlanders are averaging 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, second-best among Big South teams. Polite, Jr. leads the way with a total of nine, while Christian Lutete and Donald Hicks each have eight.
Tuesday's loss dropped the Highlanders to 28-4 under head coach Mike Jones when allowing fewer than 60 points.

SCOUTING STETSON

Record: 2-3
After opening the season with two wins, including one over Florida International, Stetson has dropped a home game to The Citadel and road contests at East Carolina and Air Force.
The Hatters tallied 112 points against The Citadel, but were held to 50 in the next game by East Carolina before dropping an 85-72 decision to Air Force on Tuesday.
Sophomore Derick Newton, a 6-6 forward, leads the team with 18.0 ppg and has made 15 of 28 3-point attempts. Newton was the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year, after averaging 16.3 ppg and ranking second in the league in 3-point percentage (46.7).
Junior guard Divine Myles is second on the team with 17.2 ppg and is shooting 54 percent from the field. Fellow junior guards Luke Doyle and Angel Rivera are also in double figures at 10.8 and 10.6, respectively.
The Hatters have four starters back from last year's team which went just 12-22, but made a run to the Atlantic Sun Tourament title game before losing to Florida Gulf Coast in overtime.
However, 6-7 forward Brian Pegg, a graduate student who led the A-Sun in rebounding (9.8) and field-goal percentage last year, has missed the last three games.

SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Record: 1-3
Georgia Southern faced Radford's last two opponents in its most recent games, falling at Mercer (80-67) and Akron (75-67).
The Eagles led Mercer by 12 in the first half before the Bears rallied late with a big run. Against Akron on Tuesday, GSU cut a 14-point deficit down to three with five minutes to go, but the Zips pulled back away.
Georgia Southern's other loss was an 81-79 decision at N.C. State in its opener.
The team is led by the sophomore backcourt duo of Ike Smith and Tookie Brown, who were the third-highest freshmen scoring tandem in the country last year.
Smith has scored at least 19 points in each game and is averaging a team-high 21.3 while shooting 53 percent. He was 8 of 13 for 23 points against Akron.
Brown, the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Sun Belt last season, has a 16.0 ppg average this year, including a 26-point outing in the N.C. State game. He also leads the team in 3-pointers (9) and assists (11).
6-6 junior forward B.J. Gladden contributes 9.8 ppg and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game off the bench.
As a team, the Eagles have scored 76.2 ppg, while shooting 43 percent, but just 30 percent from 3-point range.

UP NEXT

Radford finally returns home for its second game of the season at the Dedmon Center, hosting in-state and former conference rival VMI Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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