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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
CARLIK PUMPED
62
Winner Radford RAD 6-1
59
Texas UT 5-2
Winner
Radford RAD
6-1
62
Final
59
Texas UT
5-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 33 29 62
Texas UT 34 25 59

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD MAKES HISTORY, TAKES DOWN NO. 17 TEXAS IN AUSTIN


 
AUSTIN, Texas – The Radford men's basketball team once again defied the odds and shocked the world with a 62-59 victory over the No. 17 Texas Longhorns on their home floor at the Frank Erwin Center on Friday night.
 
With 24 seconds left on the clock and the Highlanders trailing 60-59, redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones did what he does best and made a play. The Cincinnati, Ohio native muscled his way to the rim, twisting and turning until he found just enough space to score and drew the foul to take a 61-59 lead.
 
Then, after preventing Texas from scoring on their next trip down the court, junior guard Devin Hutchinson skied over everyone and pulled down a huge rebound. He knocked down one of two free throws after the foul, the Longhorns missed a desperation three from the corner, and the Highlanders came away with their first-ever win over a ranked opponent.

The Highlanders held Texas to just nine field goals and two 3-pointers in the second half while matching the much-larger Longhorns in rebounds at 44 overall. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. led the team in scoring with 11 points while adding six rebounds, three steals and a block. Graduate center Mawdo Sallah contributed 10 points, six rebounds and a block and junior guard Travis Fields Jr. notched 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
 
Radford improves to 6-1 on the year, the program's best start since beginning 8-0 in the 1990-91 season. Two of those wins have now come on the road against Power 5 schools, Notre Dame of the ACC and Texas of the Big 12.

It took time for the Highlanders to shake off their nerves and really get going in this one. The Longhorns asserted control over the first 10 minutes, charging ahead 24-12 and looking like they would cruise from there, but every Radford fans knows there's never a time you can count the Highlanders out and they showed why.

Over the final 10:32 of the first half, Radford outscored Texas 21-12 including an incredible 17-3 run that earned a 29-25 lead with 5:34 on the clock.
 
Over that 10-minutes, 32-seconds, the Highlanders held the seventeenth ranked team in the nation to a 25-percent (4-for-16) shooting percentage and forced four turnovers. Freshman guard Cle'von Greene ignited the run, knocking down a transition jumper off the bench. Seven different players contributed at least one basket over that span, putting Radford down by a mere one point, 34-33, at halftime.
 
With countless obstacles in front of them, the Highlanders never backed down in the second half either as defense became a crucial key to victory. Texas shot just 9-for-30 (30.0%) from the floor and 2-for-14 (14.3%) from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes and a 10-for-20 day at the free throw line didn't help its cause either.

Radford finished the game with 26 points in the paint, 20 points from the bench, 11 points off turnovers and 10 second-chance points. The Highlanders faced six ties and 11 lead changes in the contest and have now overcome double-digits deficits against both Notre Dame (10) and Texas (12).

PLAY OF THE GAME  
ED'S BLOCK PARTY
With a second-half block, Polite Jr. gained sole possession of fourth place on the Radford all-time career blocked shots list. He passed Eric Parker (1994-98) who tallied 124 blocks in his career.
 
WITHOUT DONALD HICKS
It's an extremely rare sight to see the Radford basketball team without Donald Hicks in the starting lineup. The Chesapeake, Va. native missed the game with a leg injury, marking the first time he did not start for the Highlanders since Nov. 20, 2016 when he came off the bench at Akron. In fact, it was the first time in his entire career he did not play in a game; he had started 71 straight games.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders head up I-81 to Harrisonburg where they'll meet the James Madison Dukes on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7 pm. The game will be held at the JMU Convocation Center and will be broadcast live for free on Madizone HD SportsNet.
 
FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMBB on Twitter, 'radfordmbb' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.
 
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