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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Justin Cousin
Red Rocket Productions & Photography
64
Radford RAD 8-9 (3-2)
70
Winner Charleston So. CSU 5-11 (1-4)
Radford RAD
8-9 (3-2)
64
Final
70
Charleston So. CSU
5-11 (1-4)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 30 34 64
Charleston So. CSU 35 35 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

COUSIN SCORES 23, BUT RADFORD FALLS AT CHARLESTON SO, 70-64



Box Score (PDF)

GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Charleston Southern 70, Radford 64
  • Records: Radford (8-9, 3-2) | Charleston Southern (5-11, 1-4)
  • Location: CSU Fieldhouse | Charleston, S.C.
 
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Radford men's basketball team suffered its first Big South road loss Wednesday night, falling at Charleston Southern by a 70-64 decision.
 
The Highlanders were held to just 38 percent shooting, trailed nearly the entire way and saw a late comeback bid fall short despite a season-high 23 points from Justin Cousin and Ed Polite, Jr.'s sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Charleston Southern got a career-high 33 points from freshman Christian Keeling for its first conference victory.
 
Radford's only lead of the game came on the first of five 3-pointers by Cousin that made it 3-2, but it started out 2 of 9 from the field as a team and was fighting uphill the entire way. Keeting tallied 12 of his points in the opening 12 minutes as the Buccaneers built a 27-18 advantage.
 
The Highlanders struggled mightily on two-point shots in the first half, but were hot from long range to stay close. Cousin led the way, going a perfect 4 for 4 on 3-pointers in the half, with two of them keying a 10-1 run that got Radford within 30-28 with less three minutes left before halftime. Keeling then closed the opening 20 minutes with a 3-pointer of his own for a five-point margin going into the locker room.
 
Charleston Southern then scored the first six points of the second half, pushing its lead into double digits and it stayed that way most of the half. Radford's shooting woes extended beyond the arc after the break and it trailed by 13 with 3:38 to play. The Highlanders did go on an 8-1 run, capped with a driving layup by Polite, Jr. to get within 63-57 with 1:01 left. Cousin's fifth 3-pointer and a layup by the redshirt junior made it a 66-62 score with 19 seconds on the clock, but Keeling hit a pair of free throws and sealed it with a layup off of his steal.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • At one point in the first half, Radford was 5 for 12 on 3-pointers and just 1 for 11 on two-point attempts. It finished the opening 20 minutes 6 of 13 beyond the arc and 10 of 27 overall.
  • In the second half, the Highlanders started out 5 of 22 from the field and finished it at 3 for 11 from long range.
  • For the game, the visitors were 21 of 56 overall and 9 of 24 on 3's. The 38 percent total was the team's lowest since the West Virginia loss on Dec. 20.
  • Cousin made all five of his shots for 14 points in the first half and was 9 of 15 on the night, including 5 of 9 3-pointers. The 23 points was one shy of his career-best, tallied against Longwood in last year's regular-season finale.
  • Polite, Jr. had a big second half, scoring all 10 of his points and grabbing seven of his rebounds. He continued to fill the stat sheet, recording team-highs of six offensive rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
  • Donald Hicks added nine points on three 3-pointers, while Darius Bolstad added seven points on 3 of 3 from the field, three rebounds and one block in just 13 minutes after he was shaken up early in the game.
  • The cold shooting also included a 13 for 22 (59 percent) performance at the free throw line
  • Radford won the rebounding battle for 14th time in 17 games, finishing with a 42-29 advantage.
  • However, turnovers once again proved costly as 15 miscues led to 23 CSU points.
  • The Highlanders fell to 1-8 on the season when trailing at the half and 0-7 when shooting under 40 percent.
  • Keeling made 11 of 19 shots and 8 of 8 free throws for his 33-point night, the second-highest individual total allowed by Radford. His previous career-best was 24 points in a loss to Virginia Tech.
  • Armel Potter added 11 points and seven assists as Charleston Southern shot 45 percent as a team.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "Shots just wouldn't go down. It was one of those nights. We kept battling all the way to the end. That's the one positive that we can take away. But offensively, we've just got to be more efficient. When we get the ball where we want it, we've got to be able to score and when we get fouled, we've got to go the free throw line and make two. There are no nights off (in the league) and it seems like the last three games we've played desperate teams who had to have a win, but we've got to find a way to be more consistent on a night in and night out basis." ~ Radford head coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford returns home for an in-state battle against Liberty Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader and will follow the Highlander women's game against Longwood, scheduled for 2 p.m. inside the Dedmon Center.
 
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