Men's Basketball 2/6/2018 1:30:00 PM

RADFORD AND HIGH POINT BATTLE IT OUT WEDNESDAY NIGHT

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GAME INFORMATION

Opponent: High Point Panthers
Date/Location: Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
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GAME DAY SHUTTLE

Radford Athletics and Radford Transit have joined forces once again to bring fans a free and easy-to-use shuttle service from campus to the Dedmon Center. For more information, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE

Radford has gone 3-3 in its last six games, losing a share of first place in the Big South for the first time this season
The Highlanders are coming off a 57-75 defeat at Winthrop where turnovers and a hot-shooting Eagles squad made life tough
High Point earned a 67-56 victory over Campbell this past weekend to snap a three-game losing streak

SERIES HISTORY

Radford holds a 24-20 advantage through 44 all-time meetings with High Point including a 78-76 overtime victory in the Millis Center last month
The two sides first went head-to-head on January 15, 1980 when the Panthers earned a 59-40 victory in High Point
Last season, the road team won both contests with High Point winning 61-58 in the Dedmon Center before Radford got revenge with a 69- 68 overtime victory at the Millis Center

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 15-10 (8-4 Big South) | RPI: 136
Radford is 8-1 at home this season, extending its streak of seasons with eight or more wins in the Dedmon Center to six
With two more wins in conference play, the Highlanders will have double-digit wins against Big South opposition for the first time since the 2014-15 season
Junior forward Ed Polite Jr. needs only 11 more points to become the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 for his career. 27 of them have done it while playing in the Big South
He would also become the third player in program history (ninth in Big South history) to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks in his career
Senior center Randy Phillips has upped his game as of late, averaging 9.5 points on 65.7% shooting, 84.6% from the free throw line, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over his last six games
Redshirt freshman Carlik Jones and junior guard Caleb Tanner have connected on 22 and 18 straight free throws respectively, but neither has had an attempt from the charity stripe in the last two contests
The last four games Radford has played against High Point have been decided by a combined nine points
The Highlanders are still dominating opponents on the offensive glass and still lead the conference with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game
Radford is 12-2 when leading at halftime, 12-0 when outshooting opponents, 10-1 when outrebounding opponents, 10-2 when shooting more free throws, 10-2 when making more 3-pointers and 9-0 when holding opponents between 60-69 points this season

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

Record: 11-12 (6-6 Big South) | RPI: 264
Head Coach Scott Cherry is in his ninth season at the helm of the High Point men's basketball program, tallying a record of 142- 127 in that time
Cherry led the Panthers to four straight Big South regular season championships from 2013-16. The team played in the NIT twice and the CBI twice in those four years
This season, High Point was picked to finish sixth in the conference, just once spot above the Highlanders
Their squad boasts two of the top scorers in the conference with sophomore guard Jahaad Proctor (17.3 ppg) and junior guard Andre Fox (16.7 ppg)
The Panthers rank fourth in the Big South in scoring at 73.6 points per game while ranking second in scoring defense at 66.4 points allowed per game
High Point's rebounding matches Radford's exactly with each team pulling down 34.9 boards per game
With 8.0 steals per game, the Panthers' defense does well to use its length and quickly jump passing lanes
High Point has the best turnover margin in the conference at +2.7
The Panthers average only 5.7 made 3-pointers per game, good for last in the Big South
Depth is key for a HPU team that only has one player averaging 30 or more minutes per game. 10 different players are playing 10+ minutes per contest

NEXT HOME GAME

After heading to North Carolina for a 2 p.m. showdown with UNC Asheville this Saturday, the Highlanders return home for their second-to-last home game of the season
Radford welcomes Campbell to the Dedmon Center for a second nationally broadcasted contest on ESPNU next Thursday, February 15^th at 9 p.m.
To purchase tickets, visit radfordtickets.com or call the ticket office at (540) 831-7889