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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Jones-20160213-1
86
Winner Winthrop WINTHROP 18-7, 10-4 BSC
84
Radford RAD 14-12, 7-7 BSC
Winner
Winthrop WINTHROP
18-7, 10-4 BSC
86
Final
84
Radford RAD
14-12, 7-7 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Winthrop WINTHROP 41 45 86
Radford RAD 46 38 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

JOHNSON’S JUMPER AT THE BUZZER BEATS RADFORD, 86-84


 
GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Winthrop 86, Radford 84
  • Records: Radford (14-12, 7-7) | Winthrop (18-7, 10-4)
  • Location: Dedmon Center| Radford, Va.
 
RADFORD, Va. – Winthrop guard Keon Johnson hit a pull-up jumper as the buzzer sounded to give the Eagles an 86-84 victory over Radford in Big South men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Dedmon Center.
 
The game-winning shot capped a 32-point game for Johnson on 10 of 19 shooting from the field and 10 of 10 at the free-throw line. Cameron Jones scored 21 points and Rashun Davis totaled 17 points and nine assists for Radford.
 
Neither team could gain separation from the other for long in a game that was fast-paced throughout. However, the Highlanders owned the game's biggest lead of nine early in the second half. Winthrop fought back to tie it, but RU pushed their edge back up to 74-67 on a 3-pointer by YaYa Anderson with 7:35 to play. The Eagles answered with a quick 8-0 run to send the game down to the wire.
 
Jones drove baseline for a layup to put Radford up 82-81 with 1:54 to go, but Bjorn Broman made a 3-pointer on Winthrop's next possession. Following an RU miss and offensive rebound, Jones hit a jumper in the lane to tie it at 84-84 with 54 seconds left. After an Eagles turnover, Brandon Holcomb's jump hook in the lane missed, Winthrop got the rebound and Johnson pushed the ball up court and made the game-winner from the right side.
 
Similar to the last matchup two weeks ago, both teams played well offensively. Radford shot 55 percent and made 5 of its 10 3-point attempts in the first half, while Winthrop countered by hitting at a 59 percent clip from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The biggest lead for either team was four points until the Highlanders opened up a 38-31 advantage on a 3-pointer by Anderson with 3:32 left in the half. The Eagles closed the gap to three before Davis made a jumper on the final possession to make it a 46-41 RU edge at the break.
 
The Highlanders return to action Thursday night for an in-state clash at Liberty. Tipoff in the Vines Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • After Anderson's 3-pointer with 7:35 on the clock, Radford went almost three minutes without a field goal until a layup by Davis. Jones' two baskets down the stretch were RU's only other field goals the rest of the way. Anderson and Taj Owens combined to hit four free throws for the Highlanders' other points.
  • Winthrop shot 63 percent in the second half and finished at 60 percent for the game. Radford connected at 56 percent clip in the second half and 55 percent for the game.
  • The Eagles made 13 of 16 free throws in the final 20 minutes, while Radford had just eight attempts, converting six. For the game, Winthrop was 17 of 21, while the Highlanders made 13 of 17.
  • Jones shot 10 of 16 from the field, while Davis was 6 for 12, but they made just two of nine combined 3-point attempts. RU was 2 for 8 from behind the arc in the second half.
  • Anderson finished with 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting and his two 3-pointers gave him 222 for his career, taking over fifth alone in program history.
  • Davis now has 1,237 career points, passing Amir Johnson for 14th place on the career scoring list. He posted his fourth game of the season with at least nine assists, recording six in the first half alone.
  • Ed Polite, Jr. recorded a career-high six steals and led the team with six rebounds and three blocks, but was unable to reach seven rebounds for the first time in 10 games.
  • Justin Cousin broke out of a six-game scoreless slump to score eight points, all in the first half.
  • Radford suffered its first loss of the season when leading at the half, falling to 9-1.
  • Johnson paced four Winthop players in double figures. Jimmy Gavin, who tallied 29 in the first meeting, scored 13 in this one, but Zach Price scored 14 points and was 6 for 6 from the field. Broman's key 3-pointer was just his second basket of the game. 
 
QUOTABLE
  • "Rashun was right there (next to Johnson on the final shot), but when you have to guard a quick guy and he stops on a dime, it's tough to stop your momentum from going back and get back up for the shot. I thought we did the best job we could in the situation. It was a great game. We let them score a little bit too much, but I thought our guys played well overall and unfortunately we didn't get the result we wanted. Whoever got the last shot won and I take off my hat off to those guys for the job that they did." ~ Radford head coach Mike Jones
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