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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Ed Polite Jr.
66
Gardner-Webb GWU 11-13 (6-5 BSC)
70
Winner Radford RAD 15-9 (8-3 BSC)
Gardner-Webb GWU
11-13 (6-5 BSC)
66
Final
70
Radford RAD
15-9 (8-3 BSC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gardner-Webb GWU 32 34 66
Radford RAD 35 35 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

POLITE JR. DROPS 22 IN CRUCIAL WIN OVER GARDNER-WEBB


 
GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 70, Gardner-Webb 66
  • Records: Radford (15-9, 8-3 Big South) | GWU (11-13, 6-5 Big South)
  • Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
 
RADFORD, Va. – Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. delivered a monster 22-point, nine-rebound game to lead the Radford men's basketball team to a 70-66 victory over Gardner-Webb in front of the Dedmon Center's largest crowd of the season Thursday night.
 
The Lanham, Md. native scored 11 points in each half and finished 8-for-13 (62-percent) from the field while adding three steals. His biggest moment came at the 10:05 mark of the second half when he capitalized on a steal with a reverse dunk that brought the house down and gave Radford a 49-48 lead.
 
The momentous play ignited a 16-2 run that put Radford up by a game-high 10 points (60-50) with just over five minutes to go. Gardner-Webb strung together an 8-0 run to make it close late, but the Highlanders never trailed after Polite Jr.'s dunk.
 
With the victory, Radford improves to 15-9 overall including an 8-3 record in the Big South. That surpasses last season's win total of 14 and matches last season's eight wins in conference play. Meanwhile the Runnin' Bulldogs fall to 11-13 overall and 6-5 in the Big South.
 
Another key player in Radford's win was senior center Randy Phillips, who had a near-perfect night with 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting and 5-of-6 free throws finding the bottom of the net across only 19 minutes. The Highlanders shot above 50-percent (24-for-47, 51.1%) for the first time since playing UNC Asheville on Jan. 6 and for only the third time this season.
 
Of the 10 Highlanders that saw the floor, all 10 took at least one shot attempt and nine scored at least two points in a complete team effort.
 
After struggling mightily in the first half of their last meeting with Gardner-Webb, the Highlanders came out red-hot on Thursday. They shot 52-percent (13-for-25) from the field and 85.7-percent (6-of-7) from the free throw line in the period to take a 35-32 lead into the break.
 
Of the 10 Highlanders that saw the floor through the first 20 minutes of action, all 10 attempted at least one field goal attempt and eight got into the scoring column.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs kept things close, however, trading punches with Radford throughout. When Radford made it 11-6, GWU hit back with a 6-0 run. When The game was tied at 14-all, the Highlanders pushed ahead with a 7-0 run. And when the score read 23-16, Gardner-Webb delivered another 6-0 run.
 
The first half set the stage for a thrilling finish between two teams battling for position atop the Big South standings.
 
Redshirt junior guard David Efianayi matched Polite Jr.'s 22 points with a 6-for-14 day from the floor that was boosted by a perfect 9-for-9 performance at the free throw line. Freshman Jaheam Cornwall added 19 points thanks to an 8-for-8 day at the charity stripe and senior Liam O'Reilly joined them in double figures with 11 points.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The win ends Radford's three-game skid against the Runnin' Bulldogs, who still lead the all-time head-to-head series, 11-9
  • Senior guard Christian Bradford finished with nine points and hit multiple threes for the third time this season
  • Phillips has recorded at least one steal in six of his last seven games. He had recorded a grand total of zero in the six games before his streak began
  • Freshman forward Leroy Butts IV scored a career-high seven points on 3-of-3 shooting. He's shooting 55-percent (24-for-44) this season
  • Sophomore guard Donald Hicks matched his season high in assists with three by the 5:28 mark of the first half. Then he set a new season high with four assists by the 2:39 mark in the first half
  • Radford is now 8-1 in games following a loss
  • Despite GWU shooting a solid 46.5-percent from the floor, the Highlanders managed to outshoot them and are now 12-0 when doing so this season
  • 47 combined rebounds are the lowest this season, edging past 52 rebounds in the Virginia Tech game on Dec. 6
  • The Runnin' Bulldogs lived up to their name, outscoring the Highlanders, 15-2, in fast break points
  • Radford did not record a block for the second time this season, but GWU also failed to record a block. That's the first time this season an opponent has failed to do so

QUOTABLE
"It's nice to finally beat Gardner-Webb because they've had our number for the past year and a half. I thought we played well enough to win but only for part of the game. I'm just glad that our guys were able to finish the job. I thought our effort and our intensity level was good all night for 40 minutes. We made some mental errors, particularly down the stretch, when we had a big lead. There were a few mental mistakes that let them get back in it. We've got to continue to grow and mature, but I'm proud of the guys for the way they finished the game." – Head Coach Mike Jones
 
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
Liberty 77, Winthrop 61
Presbyterian 67, Longwood 62
UNC Asheville 64, Campbell 57
Charleston Southern 83, High Point 74
 
UP NEXT
  • Radford faces another tough test in just two days when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. for a showdown with the Winthrop Eagles (13-9, 7-4 Big South)
  • The game is slated for a 2 p.m. start this Saturday, Feb. 3rd
  • The Highlanders earned an 85-79 victory over the Eagles at the Dedmon Center earlier this season
 
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