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MBB Huddle
41
Radford RAD 5-6
52
Winner San Francisco USF 7-4
Radford RAD
5-6
41
Final
52
San Francisco USF
7-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 22 19 41
San Francisco USF 18 34 52

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

HIGHLANDERS BESTED BY SAN FRAN IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE


 
GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: San Francisco 52, Radford 41
  • Records: Radford 5-6 | San Francisco 7-4
  • Location: War Memorial Gym | San Francisco, Calif.
 
SAN FRANCISCO – It was a frustrating night on the offensive end for a Radford men's basketball team that just couldn't find its shot and eventually fell, 52-41, to San Francisco at War Memorial Gym Tuesday night.
 
Out of 60 shots taken in the fast-paced contest, the Highlanders managed to connect on only 15 of them for a 25% shooting percentage. A big part of that was difficulty shooting the three as the team combined to go 2-for-18 (11.1%) from beyond the arc.
 
It's the first time the Highlanders have shot below 30% since shooting 28.1% at Richmond on Nov. 14, 2014. 41 points is the team's lowest point total since scoring 47 at Mercer in 2016.
 
The loss gives the Highlanders' their first back-to-back losses of the season and drops their record to 5-6. San Francisco improves to 7-4.
 
Redshirt freshman guard Carlik Jones proved to be a bright spot once again for Radford. The Cincinnati, Ohio native scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. He added seven rebounds and three steals to complete a strong night on the floor.
 
Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. couldn't find the bottom of the net, but he did contribute a team-high eight rebounds and two steals of his own.
 
The first half was an unusual one for Radford. The team came ready to play and wasted no time jumping out to a 10-0 lead thanks to stout defense and quick ball movement. Jones got the scoring started with a dribble drive lay-up and the Highlanders took off from there.
 
The Dons were unable to score a single basket until the 13:12 mark of the period, but once they got going it was a competitive ball game. The two sides exchanged baskets to make it a 20-10 game before a 7-0 run pulled USF just behind.
 
Radford struggled to get their initial rhythm back and was held without a field goal for the final 7:52 of the half. Two free throws by Jones were the only points scored by the visitors in that span and the score sat at 22-18 in favor of Radford through 20 minutes.
 
San Francisco came out of the locker room firing and took the lead with a 7-0 run to begin the second stanza. Radford hit back with back-to-back lay-ups from Jones and sophomore guard Donald Hicks to retake the lead at 28-26, but that was the last time the Highlanders would be on the front foot.
 
An 8-0 run stretched into a 14-2 run and eventually ballooned into a 19-4 streak that put the Dons ahead at the under-8 timeout.
 
The Highlanders finished the game on a 7-0 run across the final two minutes as their comeback bid fell short.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Radford recorded a season-high 13 steals in the game. It's the first time the team has snagged 12+ steals in a game since also getting 13 vs. Vermont on March 23rd, 2015
  • Those steals were a major part of USF's 19 turnovers, the most the Highlanders have forced this season
  • Radford scored 17 points off of those turnovers as opposed to eight for USF
  • Jones' 19 points match a season and career high. He also poured in 19 points in Radford's game at Ohio State
  • The Highlanders shot 90% (9-10) from the free throw line
  • San Francisco narrowly won the rebounding battle, 41-37
  • Matt McCarthy and Souley Boum led the Dons with 10 points each. Boum struggled with fouls and didn't record a point in the first half
  • McCarthy recorded a double-double, pulling down 12 boards to go with his 10 points
 
QUOTABLE
"Defensively, we were good the whole game. To keep them to 52 points is good even though they scored 34 in the second half. We managed to score well early, but kind of went away from what we wanted to do and never found a way to get back. A lot of factors led to an anemic shooting night." – Head Coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • The Highlanders continue the 2017 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic in a couple days when they make their way to the tournament's namesake city, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Radford will play North Carolina A&T at Noon PT/3 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 22nd before taking on either Lamar or UC Davis on Saturday, Dec. 23rd

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