","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 TAKES LAS VEGAS CLASSIC TITLE - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
MBB Wins 2017 Las Vegas Classic
62
UC DAVIS UCD 8-5
72
Winner Radford RAD 7-6
UC DAVIS UCD
8-5
62
Final
72
Radford RAD
7-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
UC DAVIS UCD 29 26 7 62
Radford RAD 32 23 17 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD TAKES LAS VEGAS CLASSIC TITLE



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 72, UC Davis 62 (OT)
  • Records: Radford 7-6 | UC Davis 8-5
  • Location: Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.
 
LAS VEGAS – Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. scored 10 of his 24 points in overtime and the Radford men's basketball team went 13-for-13 from the free throw line in the extra period to defeat UC Davis, 72-62, and earn the 2017 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic title.
 
Trailing 52-55 with the clock ticking down, sophomore guard Donald Hicks received a pass on the wing from redshirt freshman Carlik Jones and drained a fast-break three to tie the game at 55 with 25.5 seconds to go. The Highlanders defense held UC Davis one last time in regulation to force overtime for the first time since Feb. 11.
 
It was all Radford in overtime, outscoring the Aggies 17-7. Free throw shooting was a major part of the victory when it had looked for a long time like a major reason for a possible loss. Through 40 minutes, UC Davis was 23-for-28 from the charity stripe while the Highlanders were merely 5-for-12 in the category.
 
Polite Jr. finished with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals. He represents Radford's first 20-point scorer this season.
 
Radford moves to 7-6 with the victory, securing the team's first winning non-conference season since 2015-16. Redshirt senior Justin Cousin is the only current Highlander that was a member of that team. UC Davis drops to 8-5 on the year.
 
The win also represents head Coach Mike Jones' 100th career win as both a head coach and at Radford. He joins Joe Davis (1978-88) who had 165 wins and Ron Bradley (1991-2002) who had 193 wins of his own.
 
The Aggies took a 6-2 lead to kick things off, but it didn't take Radford long to respond. The Highlanders burst out on a 9-0 run to take a 13-6 lead at the 12:46 mark. Minutes later, the Highlanders went on another big run, this time 8-0, to take the game from 16-15 to 24-15, their biggest lead of the day.
 
The two sides exchanged baskets for the rest of the half with UC Davis getting the better end of things. They outscored Radford 14-to-8 in the final minutes to cut the lead to 32-29 at the break.
 
The Aggies went ahead 35-34, taking their first lead since the 15:24 mark in the first half, when TJ Shorts II got drove the lane and scored an easy bucket. Polite Jr. answered with a layup of his own to get the lead right back.
 
The Radford defense stayed strong, holding UC Davis without a basket for almost 10 straight minutes. Every whistle seemed to go against the Highlanders however, and the Aggies stayed in the game by shooting free throws.
 
With 1:23 to go in regulation, Shorts II completed a three-point play to give UC Davis their 55-52 lead before Hicks performed his late-game heroics.
 
Short II finished with 16 points, half of which came from the charity stripe (8-11), and five steals while Chima Moneke led the Aggies with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • UC Davis had an RPI of 35 nationally coming into Saturday's contest
  • The 60-percent shooting percentage (12-20) in the first half was the highest of any Radford has posted in a single period this season
  • 5-foot, 9-inch Fields Jr. was credited with a block for the second time in three games
  • The Highlanders held the Aggies to a 33.3% field goal percentage (18-54), the second lowest of any opponent this season
  • Carlik Jones finished with 10 points, his fourth straight contest in double-figures. He added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal
  • All 10 Highlanders that saw the floor scored at least one basket
  • UC Davis outscored Radford, 10-0, on the fast break after forcing 18 turnovers. The Highlanders weren't far behind, forcing 16 turnovers
  • Radford also won the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic in 2013
 
QUOTABLE
"That was just a fun basketball game. The great thing about it was I made some mistakes, but my coaches picked me up. Our players made some mistakes, but their teammates picked them up. We were able to pick up a big-time win and I'm just really proud of the whole team." – Head Coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • With the 2017 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic at an end, the Highlanders will head back to Radford to enjoy the holidays with their family for a couple days before beginning conference play
  • The Highlanders' first Big South foe of the season will be Presbyterian on Dec. 30th at 4 p.m. in Clinton, S.C.
 
For the latest on Radford Athletics, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Highlander Happenings.
 

 
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