Men's Basketball 11/8/2018 11:00:00 AM

UIC COMES TO DEDMON CENTER FRIDAY NIGHT FOR GOTHAM CLASSIC OPENER

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team takes on UIC on Friday night in an early season test between two teams coming off impressive postseason runs.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: UIC Flames (0-1, 0-0 Horizon)
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 9 at 9 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
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SERIES HISTORY
Friday night's match-up between Radford and UIC marks the first time the two programs will meet.

LAST TIME OUT
Finally returning to the hardwood for the first time since the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Radford earned a 91-57 victory over Davis & Elkins in front of 1,215 fans at the Dedmon Center on Tuesday.

Senior guard Caleb Tanner and junior guard Donald Hicks led the way, each going 6-for-9 from deep. Tanner finished with a team-high 19 points and a career-high three steals while Hicks posted 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Senior forward Ed Polite, Jr. recorded his 27^th career double-double with an 18-point, 12-rebound effort on 7-for-9 shooting. The Lanham, Md. native added three assists for good measure.

RAINING THREES
The Highlanders poured in 18 3-pointers against Davis & Elkins, setting a new Dedmon Center record. The previous record stood at 16 threes which was done twice – 12/5/82 against Morgan State and 12/8/98 against VCU.

NEW FACES
Coach Jones and his staff emptied the bench against Davis & Elkins, playing a total of 11 Highlanders in the game. Several of those players were making their debut in a Radford uniform and giving fans their first glimpse of what's to come.

Graduate transfer center Mawdo Sallah made his presence felt in the post with nine points, five rebounds and four blocks. Junior guard Devin Hutchinson pulled down four rebounds and led all players with seven assists. Freshman guard Josiah Jeffers (6p, 4a), freshman guard Cle'von Greene (9p, 4-5 FG) and junior guard John Caldwell all made their Radford debuts as well.

RECORD WATCH
Polite Jr. passed Correy Watkins (1998-02) in two categories on Tuesday night. First, he moved into fourth all-time in Radford history for career rebounds with 817 and then he moved into 23^rd all-time for career points scored with 1,134.

Tanner passed Amir Johnson (2006-10) for 10^th in program history in career made 3-point field goals with 156.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC finished third in the Horizon League in 2017-18 with a conference record of 12-6, the program's best finish since 2004. The Flames went 20-16 overall and played in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) where they won three games, including one against Liberty, and reached the championship game.

This season, UIC was picked to finish third once again in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, garnering four first-place votes. Junior guards Marcus Ottey and Tarkus Ferguson were named to the All-Horizon League Preseason First and Second Teams respectively.

The Flames fell to Notre Dame, 84-67, in their season opener on Tuesday night. Ottey led the team with 17 points while Ferguson, Jordan Blount and Godwin Boahen all scored in double figures as well. UIC only shot 29.6-percent from the floor in the first half, but bounced back to shoot 43.2-percent in the second stanza.

NEXT HOME GAME
Radford hits the road for three straight games in the Gotham Classic before returning to the Dedmon Center to face Glenville State on Monday, Nov. 26 at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased on RadfordTickets.com or by calling the Radford Ticket Office at (540) 831-7889 during business hours.

FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMBB on Twitter, 'radfordmbb' Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.

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