HIGHLANDERS CLOSE OUT NON-CONFERENCE PLAY, HOST MARS HILL ON TUESDAY

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team closes out non-conference play with a 3 p.m. game against Mars Hill in the Dedmon Center on Tuesday.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Mars Hill Lions (6-4, 1-2 South Atlantic Conference)
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 1^st at 3 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
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LAST TIME OUT
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.

As a team, Radford shot 26-for-66 (39.4%) from the floor and a solid 8-for-19 (42.1%) from 3-point range. Despite shooting percentages that weren't much better than the Highlanders', the Terrapins were buoyed by a 21-for-25 (84.0%) night at the free throw line.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the Radford and Mars Hill men's basketball programs. The Highlanders last played a team from the South Atlantic Conference when they defeated Catawba, 68-60, on Nov. 18, 2015 in the Dedmon Center.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
No matter what outlet you check, there is a consensus that the Radford Highlanders have played one of the most difficult non-conference schedules of any team in the nation. Ken Pomeroy has Radford's strength of schedule at 12^th while CBS Sports puts the Highlanders at 17^th out of the 353 teams considered.

The 11 Division I opponents that Radford has faced this season have a combined record of 96-51 including double-digit win teams like UNCG (13-2), Notre Dame (10-3), Clemson (10-3) and Maryland (10-3).

SALLAH'S STRONG SEASON
After the graduation of center Randy "Pop" Phillips following the 2017-18 championship season, the Highlanders knew they would need to bring in another big man to replace his production. Enter graduate transfer Mawdo Sallah who has been one of Radford's most consistent players this season.

At 6-foot, 8-inches tall and weighing in at 230 pounds, Sallah has cemented his place as the Highlanders' starting center and is the only player on the roster to have started all 13 games so far this season. He's averaging 6.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting a team-high 55.9% from the field.

DANGEROUS FROM THREE
Radford continues to be one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation after another strong performance from beyond the arc at Maryland. At 41.1% (117-285) so far this season, the Highlanders now rank eighth out of 351 Division I teams in the entire country in three-point field goal percentage.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
The first thing that jumps out about Mars Hill, which is a Division II program, is how much improvement it has shown already this season. After going 4-24 in 2017-18 and then being picked to finish last out of 11 teams in the SAC prior to 2018-19, the Lions are 6-4 with a conference win before 2018 has even finished.

In their second season under head coach Vic Finora, the Lions are averaging 83.9 points per game, but defense has let them down a bit and allowed 85.3 points per game. Redshirt junior guard Ja'Shawn Brooks is leading the way with 23.1 points per game while redshirt freshman Javonte Cook is carrying the load on the boards with 8.5 rebounds per game.

NEXT HOME GAME
Radford kicks off conference play with a 4:30 p.m. contest against Longwood in the Dedmon Center on Saturday, Jan. 5. The game is part of a doubleheader with Radford women's basketball who will play UNC Asheville at 2 p.m. the same day. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+. 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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Players Mentioned

#1 Carlik Jones: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore

#20 Mawdo Sallah: F/C; 6' 8"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#1 Carlik Jones
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#20 Mawdo Sallah
: 6' 8"; Graduate Student
: F/C

Players Mentioned

#1 Carlik Jones

#20 Mawdo Sallah

Players Mentioned

#1 Carlik Jones

#20 Mawdo Sallah