","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"]}} HIGHLANDERS ROUT ERSKINE, 76-49 - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Randy Phillips
49
ERSKINE ERSKINE 3-7 (1-3 CC)
76
Winner Radford RAD 5-4 (0-0 BSC)
ERSKINE ERSKINE
3-7 (1-3 CC)
49
Final
76
Radford RAD
5-4 (0-0 BSC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
ERSKINE ERSKINE 18 31 49
Radford RAD 35 41 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

HIGHLANDERS ROUT ERSKINE, 76-49


 
GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 76, Erskine 49
  • Records: Radford (5-4, 0-0 Big South) | Erskine (3-7, 1-3 Conference Carolinas)
  • Location: Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team got the job done on both ends of the court in a 76-49 victory over Erskine Saturday afternoon.
 
The Highlanders' 76 points were a season high while the 49 points given up represented the first time they held an opponent under 50 since Nov. 29, 2014. On that day, Radford topped Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 57-46.
 
With the victory, the Highlanders improve to 5-4 on the season and a perfect 4-0 following a loss on the year.
 
Sophomore guard Donald Hicks led the way with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting including a 3-for-5 clip beyond the arc. Senior center Randy Phillips joined him in double figures with 12 points and came close to a double-double thanks to a team-high nine rebounds.
 
The Highlanders jumped out to an early 9-2 lead behind two 3-pointers from Hicks. Redshirt senior Justin Cousin added a third 3-pointer at the 15:54 mark, matching Radford's total threes made the entire game at Virginia Tech Wednesday night.
 
Trailing 14-4, the Flying Fleet made a push to keep the game from getting away and went on a 7-0 run to bring the tally to 14-11. Radford hit right back with a 15-0 run of their own, the longest run of the season, to regain their double-digit lead at 29-11 with just under eight minutes to go in the period.
 
Erskine only scored seven more points the entire half to reach 18 going into the break. It's the lowest point total scored in a half by Radford opposition this season, beating VMI's 24 in the second half on Dec. 2nd.
 
Despite the big lead after 20 minutes, the Highlanders had their fair share of struggles shooting in the half. The second half saw a much better output from the home team as Radford knocked down 16-of-30 shots (53.3%) from the floor and 7-of-14 (50%) from distance.
 
A 8-0 run across a three-minute span pushed the Radford lead to 43-20 before a second 8-0 run later in the half took the lead up to 51-26 with less than 13 minutes to play.
 
The Highlanders dominated on the boards, finishing with a 51-20 advantage in the category. It was the first time that Radford pulled down 50+ rebounds in a game since grabbing 59 against High Point last season.
 
They were also brutally efficient passing the ball, providing a combined 25 assists on 30 made field goals.
 
The 27-point victory is Radford's first win by 20+ points since defeating Grace College, 82-58, in the Dedmon Center on Dec. 23, 2016.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Radford held a 13-4 advantage in fast break points while forcing 13 turnovers
  • The Highlanders dominated in the paint, scoring 34 of their 76 points near the rim
  • Radford's bench outscored the Flying Fleet bench, 36-26, the same advantage they held over Virginia Tech earlier this week
  • The Highlanders had 29 rebounds by halftime, their most in a single half this season
  • Radford connected on 11 3-pointers, the fourth time its made 10+ this season
  • All 16 players on the Erskine roster that traveled played against the Highlanders Saturday
  • Travis Fields Jr. has recorded at least one steal in seven of his nine games in a Radford uniform
  • Junior forward Tristan Owens came off the bench to record a season-high 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists
  • Freshman guard Anias Saunders was great in limited minutes, knocking down a corner three before pulling down a rebound and providing an assist
 
QUOTABLE
"I was very pleased with how we came out after the tough loss at Virginia Tech. We really imposed our will defensively tonight. We were solid all around early on the defensive side of the ball. Our defensive efforts helped us get out to a little bit of a lead. I thought our intensity level kept up for most of the game and I was pleased to see that." - Head Coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
  • The men of Radford basketball will have a few days to rest up and focus on their studies as finals week arrives
  • Their next contest will be the first on a West Coast swing as they take on #22 Nevada on Sunday, Dec. 17th
  • The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT
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