Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Justin Cousin
73
Winner Radford RAD 2-1
66
ECU ECU 1-1
Winner
Radford RAD
2-1
73
Final
66
ECU ECU
1-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 37 36 73
ECU ECU 30 36 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

HIGHLANDERS COME OUT VICTORIOUS IN 73-66 THRILLER AT ECU



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 73, East Carolina 66
  • Records: Radford 2-1 | East Carolina 1-1
  • Location: Minges Coliseum | Greenville, N.C.
 
GREENVILLE, N.C. – It took a big-time effort down the stretch, but the Radford men's basketball team came away with a 73-66 victory over East Carolina in Minges Coliseum Wednesday night.
 
With under four minutes left in the contest and the Pirates leading 60-59, sophomore guard Donald Hicks came around a screen at the top of the key and found redshirt senior guard Justin Cousin waiting in the corner for the go-ahead three.
 
The Highlanders held ECU to only two made field goals from there on out to maintain their lead and close out the victory.
 
Radford improves to 2-1 on the season while East Carolina suffers its first loss of the year and falls to 1-1.

It was a total team effort for a Radford squad that saw 10 of the 11 players that entered the game score at least one basket. As a team, the Highlanders only shot 39.6-percent (21-for-53) from the floor, 32-percent (8-for-25) from three and 67.6-percent (23-for-34) at the free throw line, but they overcame it all by coming up with big moments on both ends of the floor.

Defensive intensity played a huge role in the Highlanders' win. They held ECU to a 37.9-percent (22-for-58) clip from the floor including a dismal 27.3-percent (6-for-22) mark from beyond the arc.They also forced 16 turnovers and recorded a season-high five blocks.

Junior forward Ed Polite, Jr. led the charge, knocking down 5-of-10 shots from the field and 7-of-9 free throws for a game-high and season-high 17 points. He added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block to stuff the stat sheet once again.

The Highlanders came out fast, taking a quick 5-0 lead on a three by Cousin and a mid-range jumper from senior guard Christian Bradford. East Carolina was forced to play on their back foot for the majority of the contest, trailing by as many as 14 in the first half before cutting the deficit to seven as the game entered the halftime break.

It was not until the 10:18 mark of the second half that the Pirates took their first lead, but the Highlanders hit right back like they did all night as redshirt freshman guard Carlik Jones found a wide open Devonnte Holland under the basket for an easy two points.

Three ties and six lead changes in the second half alone made for an exciting finish until Radford put it away late. Like their last two games, the bench played a huge part in that, outscoring the Pirates' bench by a 46-16 margin.

Radford also made the most of ECU's mistakes, finishing with a 18-to-8 advantage in points off turnovers and a 15-to-9 advantage in second chance points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Wednesday night marked the first time the Highlanders took on a current member of the American Athletic Conference since dropping a 70-101 decision at Cincinnati on December 17, 2011
  • Radford moves to 4-5 all-time against East Carolina
  • The Highlanders shared the ball well, tallying 16 assists on 21 made field goals
  • Freshman forward Leroy Butts IV made his first career appearance and first career start. He only took one shot in the contest, but he made the most of it by draining a straightaway three
  • Holland also got the start, his second in as many games after playing in 29 straight games without a start to begin his collegiate career
  • Jones and junior guard Caleb Tanner each posted nine points
  • Through three games, the Highlanders' bench is outscoring opposing benches by a combined mark of 123-51. That's an average of 41 bench points per game

QUOTABLE
"It was great to see us be challenged like this early in the season. These type of games build so much character in your team and I saw a lot of character in our team tonight. Our guys really came together after East Carolina closed our 14-point lead in the first half and then took the lead in the second half. We just kept supporting each other and leading each other which the way I like to see it because it's going to pay dividends down the road." - Head Coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • The Highlanders will have a week to regroup and refocus before hitting the road once again to take on the Elon Phoenix
  • The game is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 22nd at 7 p.m. at the Alumni Gym
 
For the latest on Radford Athletics, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Highlander Happenings.

 
Print Friendly Version