","thumbnailUrl":null,"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Radford University Athletics","jobTitle":null},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Radford University Athletics","url":"https://radfordathletics.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://radfordathletics.com/images/logos/site/site.png","width":50,"height":50}},"about":null,"speakable":{"type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":["article-content","article-headline"]}} RADFORD HOLDS OFF LATE PUSH FROM N.C. A&T FOR 66-60 WIN - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Caleb Tanner
60
NCAT NCAT 6-7
66
Winner Radford RAD 6-6
NCAT NCAT
6-7
60
Final
66
Radford RAD
6-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
NCAT NCAT 26 34 60
Radford RAD 35 31 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD HOLDS OFF LATE PUSH FROM N.C. A&T FOR 66-60 WIN



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 66, N.C. A&T 60
  • Records: Radford 6-6 | N.C. A&T 6-7
  • Location: Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.
 
LAS VEGAS – The Radford men's basketball team held off a frenzied comeback effort from North Carolina A&T and managed to hang on for a 66-60 victory in Orleans Arena on Friday afternoon.
 
Leading 62-52 with 2:26 to go in regulation, the Aggies hit a 3-pointer, two lay-ups and a free throw to cut the difference all the way down to 62-60 with 52 seconds remaining. A missed shot on the other end put the Highlanders in jeopardy, but redshirt freshman guard Carlik Jones pulled down a huge offensive board and passed to sophomore Travis Fields Jr. with 15.0 seconds on the clock.
 
Fields Jr. was fouled and went to the line with the game in his hands and he knocked down both free throws to push the lead back to four. A N.C. A&T miss and two more free throws from sophomore center Devonnte Holland put the game away.
 
With the win, Radford moves to 6-6 on the season and will play the winner of Lamar/UC Davis on Saturday, Dec. 23rd at 2:30 p.m. PT for the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic "visitor bracket" title. N.C. A&T drops to 6-7 in 2017-18 and will play the loser of Lamar/UC Davis.
 
Jones was the Highlanders' top scorer for the third straight game, dropping 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting and added six rebounds and three assists.
 
Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. pitched in 11 points and six rebounds while junior guard Caleb Tanner went 4-for-6 including a 3-for-5 clip from beyond the arc to score 11 points of his own.
 
Coming off of a tough game in San Francisco, the Highlanders knew they needed to get their offense going in Vegas and they did just that in the first half. An 0-for-8 start from the field was alarming, but shooting is contagious and Jones got the ball rolling.
 
The Cincinnati, Ohio native scored Radford's first six points and eight of their first 10 to keep them right alongside the Aggies before his teammates got in on the action. A 7-0 run became a 12-0 run across three minutes of play. At the 4:50 mark, Fields Jr. drew two defenders and found sophomore guard Donald Hicks on the wing for a wide open 3-pointer, giving Radford a 10-point lead.
 
Then, with 2:18 to go in the period, Fields Jr. found Hicks again with a cross-court pass and he drilled another 3-pointer to give Radford it's largest lead of the half at 11.
 
After that 0-for-8 start, the Highlanders shot made 14 of their next 19 shots and went into the locker room with a 35-26 lead.
 
It was all Radford in the first five minutes of the second half as the team combined to go 5-for-8 to increase the lead to 15 (46-31).

The Aggies weren't going down without a fight, however, and cut the lead down to seven on back-to-back 3-point plays from redshirt sophomore forward Femi Olujobi later in the period. The game went back-and-forth, but Radford stayed out in front for the entire second half and made the plays it needed down the stretch.
 
Olujobi led all players with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 day at the free throw line. He completed his double-double effort with 11 rebounds and stuffed the stat sheet with three assists, two steals and a block.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Coach Jones started Carlik Jones for the third time in as many games. He had not started a game in his career before this tournament
  • Fields Jr. provided a team-high five assists, his second highest total of the season
  • Nine of the 10 Highlanders that saw the floor contributed at least two points
  • Freshman forward Leroy Butts IV posted a career-high six points on three perfect mid-range jumpers and added a career high matching four rebounds
  • The Radford bench dominated yet again, outscoring the Aggies' bench by a tally of 29-14
  • Radford failed to record a block for the first time this season. They had swatted away at least three shots in five straight games coming in
  • After going 15-60 (25.0%) from the floor in San Francisco, Radford shot 51.9% (14-27) in the first half against N.C. A&T
  • Radford narrowly won the rebounding battle, 32-30, while turnovers ended up tied at 14 apiece
  • Freshman guard Kameron Langley led all players with six assists for the Aggies
 
QUOTABLE
"We were able to find some of the good things we did in the last two games, build on them, and turn them into a victory here today. We played a good team in N.C. A&T and we knew they wouldn't give up. There were three huge plays down the stretch that we had to make and they allowed us to win this game." – Head Coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • The Highlanders will play the winner of Lamar/UC Davis at 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET tomorrow
  • Lamar is 8-3 and UC Davis is 7-4 heading into their matchup
 
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