RADFORD HOSTS LONGWOOD SATURDAY, GOING FOR SEASON SWEEP

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SETTING THE STAGE

The Radford men's basketball returns home Saturday afternoon, welcoming in-state foe Longwood to the Dedmon Center in the second game of a Highlander doubleheader on Alumni Weekend.
Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN3.
Last meeting: Radford placed four players in double figures and led for nearly 30 minutes in a 72-60 victory in Farmville on Jan. 19.
Series History: The Highlanders now lead the series 18-7 and are 11-1 against the Lancers at Dedmon. However, that one loss came in last year's regular-season finale. Radford has swept Longwood just once since it joined the conference, doing so during the 2013-14 campaign.
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HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 11-16, 6-9
Radford remains tied with Campbell for sixth place in the Big South as the teams battle for the final first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The Highlanders host the league's bottom two teams before visiting Campbell in the regular-season finale.
Ed Polite, Jr. posted his Big South-leading 12th double-double (tied for 25th in the NCAA) of the season Wednesday night, as he scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The sophomore has scored in double figures in 13 of the 15 conference games, including 11 of the last 12, with seven double-doubles in that span. In his last five outings, he is averaging 16.4 ppg and 8.4 rebounds per contest.
Polite, Jr. now leads the team in scoring (11.3), rebounding (9.5) and steals (1.8), remaining first and third in the conference in the latter two.
Polite, Jr. is also closing in on 500 career rebounds, standing at 474 with at least four games left to play this season. He has averaged 8.3 over his 57 games as a Highlander.
Darius Bolstad recorded four blocks in each of the last two contests, moving up to third in the Big South at 1.6 per game (37 total).
Christian Bradford is still second in conference play in assists (3.9) and third overall for the season (3.6).
Justin Cousin now ranks second on the team in scoring (11.0), but tallied a team-high 18 points in the season's first game with Longwood. He recorded his career high of 24 against the Lancers in last year's finale and in the last two meetings, shot a combined 14 for 29 from the field, including 11 of 22 3-pointers.
Radford posted a 43-27 rebounding advantage in the game in Farmville, outscoring Longwood 20-0 in second-chance points. Polite, Jr. collected 15 boards, along with 13 points.
The Highlanders have lost their last seven conference games when allowing 70 or more points after winning the first two. They have won four of the last five when holding opponents under 70.

SCOUTING LONGWOOD

Record: 6-20, 3-12
An 83-63 decision to Winthrop on Wednesday extended Longwood's losing streak to 12 games. The defeats have come by an average of 17.3 points, with four of the last five by at least 20.
The Lancers' last win came on Jan. 4 at home against Presbyterian.
The team has used eight or fewer players in seven straight games since Jan. 26.
The trio of Khris Lane, Darrion Allen and Isaiah Walton accounted for 48 of the team's 60 points during the January game and continues to carry the offensive load.
Lane is now sixth in the conference in scoring (16.0), fourth in rebounding (7.2) and third in field-goal percentage (52.3), although he has tallied 11 or fewer points in the each of the last three games. He posted 18 points and eight rebounds in the first meeting.
Allen ranks eighth in the league with 14.4 ppg while leading the team with 50 3-pointers, shooting 33 percent from behind the arc.
Walton stands 11th in the conference with 13.8 ppg and seventh with 3.0 assists.
In league play, Longwood is eighth in scoring (67.9) and last in points allowed (81.1), field-goal percentage defense and 3-point defense.