","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'S COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT AT GARDNER-WEBB - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
MBB Huddle
54
Radford RAD 11-7, 4-1 BSC
59
Winner Gardner-Webb GWU 9-9, 4-1 BSC
Radford RAD
11-7, 4-1 BSC
54
Final
59
Gardner-Webb GWU
9-9, 4-1 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 16 38 54
Gardner-Webb GWU 28 31 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD'S COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT AT GARDNER-WEBB



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Gardner-Webb 59, Radford 54
  • Records: Radford (11-7, 4-1 Big South) | GWU (9-9, 4-1 Big South)
  • Location: Paul Porter Arena | Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Despite a frenzied comeback to make it a close game late, the Radford men's basketball team had its six-game win streak snapped with a 59-54 loss to Gardner-Webb in Paul Porter Arena Friday night.
 
Trailing 56-54 with less than a minute to go, senior center Randy Phillips made a huge defensive play when he drew a charge and got the ball back in the hands of the Highlanders. Sophomore guard Travis Fields Jr. then got a good look from the top of the key on the other end of the floor, but his shot bounced off the rim and over the backboard with 18.8 seconds to go.
 
GWU hit three clutch free throws with the remaining time on the clock to secure the victory.
 
With the loss, Radford drops to 11-7 and 4-1 in conference play while Gardner-Webb gets back to .500 at 9-9 and joins Radford atop the Big South standings at 4-1.
 
Both teams struggled to shoot against stout defensive opponents, but free throw shooting proved to be a big differentiator. The Highlanders went 10-for-19 (52.6%) while the Runnin' Bulldogs went 11-for-15 (73.3%).
 
Even still, Radford battled hard in the second half to stay competitive. An 8-0 run out of the locker room pulled the Highlanders within six, but GWU hit back with their second 15-4 run of the contest.
 
Fields Jr. went on a 7-0 run all on his own with back-to-back jumpers and a 3-pointer from the corner before his teammates got involved for another 7-0 run two minutes later. In that time, Radford made 7-of-9 attempts from the field to buoy an overall sluggish shooting performance.
 
It was a sloppy first period for the Highlanders, who connected on only six of their 26 field goal attempts including only one of 11 3-pointers. 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action contributed to a season-low 16 points in the frame.
 
Even with play at a frantic pace early, Radford was held without a basket until the 15:30 mark. Gardner-Webb took advantage of the Highlanders' stale shooting, breaking out for a 7-0 run that eventually stretched into a 15-4 run.
 
A runner by senior guard Liam O'Reilly at the buzzer returned Gardner-Webb's lead to 12 as the game entered its intermission.
 
Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. led the Highlanders with 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals while Phillips added nine rebounds of his own. Seven different Highlanders scored at least six points.
 
O'Reilly led all scorers with 17 points including three 3-pointers while David Efianayi (12) and D.J. Laster (11) joined him in double-figures.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Gardner-Webb seems to have Radford's number, having won the last three games and four of the last five in the series history
  • Junior guard Caleb Tanner went 2-for-2 from the free throw line and has now hit 10 straight dating back to Dec. 6 at Virginia Tech
  • Polite Jr. has recorded multiple steals in four straight games, getting a combined 11 in that time
  • Radford's defense was solid even in the loss, forcing a season-high 20 turnovers. 39 of the games combined 113 points were scored off of turnovers
  • The Highlanders tallied 12 assists on 19 field goals made, led by Fields Jr. and senior guard Christian Bradford who had four each
  • The Runnin' Bulldogs won the rebounding battle, 42-33
  • Gardner-Webb was whistled for 21 fouls with seven different players tallying at least two and six earned at least three
 
QUOTABLE
"We got off to a bad start against a good team playing on their home court. We dug a hole for ourselves and we had to fight uphill the rest of the game. You can't do that against a team that's this good defensively because every team is going to be a struggled, but I'm still proud of the way we fought in the second half and gave ourselves a chance to win it." – Head Coach Mike Jones
 
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
Campbell 65, High Point 64
UNC Asheville 76, Presbyterian 56
Winthrop 64, Charleston Southern 53
Longwood 58, Liberty 51
 
UP NEXT
  • The Highlanders will attempt to bounce back when they welcome in-state rival Liberty to the Dedmon Center on Monday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.
  • For tickets to the game, visit radfordtickets.com or call the ticket office at (540) 831-7889
  • If you can't make it, the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and MASN
 
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