","thumbnailUrl":null,"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Radford University Athletics","jobTitle":null},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Radford University Athletics","url":"https://radfordathletics.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://radfordathletics.com/images/logos/site/site.png","width":50,"height":50}},"about":null,"speakable":{"type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":["article-content","article-headline"]}} HIGHLANDERS TAKE ON DEFENDING CHAMPION WINTHROP IN SEMIS - Radford University Athletics
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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Randy Phillips

Men's Basketball

HIGHLANDERS TAKE ON DEFENDING CHAMPION WINTHROP IN SEMIS


 
GAME INFORMATION  
SETTING THE STAGE
  • Radford's quest for a third Big South Tournament title continues on Friday. The Highlanders previously took home the trophy in 1998 and 2009
  • The Eagles of Winthrop have 11 Big South championships after winning it all last season
 
SERIES HISTORY
  • Radford owns a slim 37-36 advantage in 73 all-time meetings with Winthrop after splitting the season series at one apiece
  • The Highlanders earned an 85-79 win over the Eagles at the Dedmon Center on Jan. 3, but were handily defeated, 57-75, at Winthrop Coliseum on Feb. 3
  • The first ever meeting between the two programs came on Jan. 19, 1985 when Radford defeated Winthrop, 68-49
 
TOURNAMENT HISTORY vs. WINTHROP
  • Radford is only 2-7 against Winthrop in the Big South Championship tournament
  • The Eagles have won six tournament games in a row against the Highlanders, including two in the Big South Championship game
  • Their last postseason meeting was in 2015 when the Eagles came away with a 67-66 victory in the quarterfinals
 
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
  • Record: 20-12 | RPI: 137
  • Radford is in its second straight Big South Championship semifinals. They fell to Campbell, 50-66, in the semis last year
  • With yesterday's win over Longwood, Radford has secured its third 20-win season under head coach Mike Jones
  • The Highlanders rank 25th in the nation and second in the Big South in scoring defense, giving up only 65.1 points per game
  • The 35.4% (17-48) shooting performance by the Highlanders against Longwood was their third-worst of the season
  • Radford parlayed 14 forced turnovers into 18 points while only turning the ball over seven times themselves
  • Free throws were a huge key to victory for Radford. They went 19-for-27 from the charity stripe while Longwood was held to only five attempts
  • Sophomore guard Donald Hicks was Radford's top player against Longwood in the quarterfinals. The Chesapeake, Va. native led all scorers with 16 points
  • Hicks is responsible for three of the six times a Highlander has made five 3-pointers in a single game this season
  • Radford is tied for the most road wins in the league this season with seven. The Highlanders are 3-0 on a neutral court as well
  • The last time the Highlanders faced Winthrop, junior forward Ed Polite Jr. went for 18 points, eight rebounds and five steals, but was held to 6-of-15 shooting
  • Both teams had 20 turnovers in that contest, thanks in part to Radford's 16 steals
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
  • Record: 19-11 | RPI: 169
  • Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey is in his sixth season in charge of the Eagles' men's basketball program. He has had only one losing season and won a combined 88 games across the past four seasons heading into 2017-18
  • Winthrop was picked to finish second in the Preseason Big South Coaches Poll just behind UNC Asheville, receiving three first-place votes. They dropped to the third seed when Radford tied their 12-6 conference record and won the RPI tiebreaker
  • Senior guard/forward Xavier Cooks was tabbed Big South Player of the Year and named to the All-Big South First Team
  • The Wollongong, Australia native leads the Eagles and ranks in the top-5 in the Big South for scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg) and assists (3.7 apg)
  • Brothers Anders and Bjorn Broman are also averaging double-figures in scoring with 12.6 and 10.5 points per game respectively
  • Bjorn, a junior guard, had the biggest game of his career against Radford back on Jan. 3rd with 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting including seven 3-pointers. He earned Big South Honorable Mention honors
  • The Eagles' offense is the most prolific in the Big South, averaging 80.4 points per game. Their defense is second-worst in the conference however, allowing 71.9 points per contest
  • Winthrop is the top rebounding team in the league, pulling down 36.4 boards a game
  • Winthrop also leads the Big South in assists with 14.8 per game. Their 1.2 assist/turnover ratio is tops in the conference as well
  • Seven different Eagles have made double-digit 3-pointers this season and the Broman brothers lead the way with 70+ apiece. As a team, their 9.9 3-point FG made per game is also the best in the Big South

UP NEXT  
  • The winner will advance to the Big South Championship finals where they will take on the winner of No. 1 UNC Asheville and No. 5 Liberty
  • The title game is scheduled for Sunday, March 4 at 1 pm. It will be hosted by the highest remaining seed and be broadcast live on ESPN

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Players Mentioned

Donald Hicks

#5 Donald Hicks

G
6' 3"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Donald Hicks

#5 Donald Hicks

6' 3"
Sophomore
G