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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
UNC Greensboro takes on Radford in non-conference men's basketball action at the Greensboro Coliseum on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Tim Cowie/Tim Cowie Photography
64
Radford RAD 7-6
78
Winner Maryland UMD 10-3
Radford RAD
7-6
64
Final
78
Maryland UMD
10-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 32 32 64
Maryland UMD 34 44 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

FIELDS JR. AND JONES COMBINE FOR 42 POINTS IN DEFEAT AT MARYLAND


 
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Backcourt mates Travis Fields Jr. and Carlik Jones became the first pair of Highlanders to record 20-plus points in the same game this season, but the Radford men's basketball team couldn't hold on in a 78-64 loss to Maryland at the Xfinity Center on Saturday night.
 
Fields Jr. poured in a career-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting including a 4-of-5 effort from 3-point range. He added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in another solid performance. Jones went for 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He filled out the scoresheet with eight assists, five rebounds and a steal.
 
Radford moves to 7-6 on the season with just one non-conference game left to play while Maryland improves to 10-3.
 
It was all or nothing for the Highlanders in the first half. They came out of the gates on fire, connecting on eight of their first nine shots to take a 19-10 lead at the 14:22 mark. From that point on, though, there was an invisible lid on the basket.
 
From 14:21 to 6:40, Radford went 0-for-13 and was held without a point for more than seven minutes. Defense was vital to staying in the game as Maryland failed to take advantage until finally tying the game at 19-all with 7:45 left in the period.
 
Fields Jr. was responsible for finally ending the drought, first hitting one of two free throws and then sinking a transition layup following a sure-handed steal. The Terrapins continued to battle and finally took their first lead of the game at 31-30 with 2:57 on the clock before taking a 34-32 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Highlanders have been in this position before and their confidence showed as they retook the lead at 39-36 less than two minutes into the second half. Maryland responded with a huge run, making 7-of-8 shots over a four-minute span to take a 53-43 lead in a flash.
 
Despite Radford's best efforts down the stretch, no amount of hard work seemed to make a difference as shot after shot fell for Maryland and the opposite happened for the Highlanders. The deficit grew to as many as 22 with 7:11 remaining, but the Terps went without a field goal for the final 4:50 and Radford battled until the end.
 
Sophomore forward Bruno Fernando led Maryland with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double while Eric Ayala (14), Darryl Morsell (13) and Anthony Cowan (10) all finished with double-figure scoring totals.

PLAY OF THE GAME
TURNOVER BATTLE
Coming into Saturday night's contest, the Highlanders ranked second in the Big South with just 11.5 turnovers per game. Against Maryland, Radford committed just eight turnovers while forcing 14 miscues by the Terps. Radford earned a 16-6 advantage in points off turnovers as well.
 
2018 CALENDAR YEAR RECAP
2018 was an incredible year for the Radford men's basketball program. The Highlanders won a combined 22 games including their third-ever Big South Championship and their first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
 
Mike Jones became the fourth Radford head coach to be named Big South Coach of the Year honors and was also named the NABC District 3 Coach of the Year. Carlik Jones earned Big South Freshman of the Year honors for the third time in program history as well. 2018 turned out to be a great year for Radford and 2019 looks like it could be just as memorable.
 
QUOTABLE
"We faced scoring droughts in both the first and second half because of missed layups and some missed opportunities, but we were still in a good position for a lot of that game. We couldn't make the most of moments I thought we needed and credit to Maryland for making the most of their moments to win the game." – Head Coach Mike Jones
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders kick off the new year with one final non-conference game against Mars Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 1. The game is slated for 3 p.m. and will be aired live on ESPN+ per usual. 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' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.
 
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