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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Ed Polite Jr.
79
Winner Radford RAD 10-6, 2-0 BSC
72
USC Upstate UPST 5-12, 0-2 BSC
Winner
Radford RAD
10-6, 2-0 BSC
79
Final
72
USC Upstate UPST
5-12, 0-2 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 33 46 79
USC Upstate UPST 33 39 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

RADFORD PICKS UP 79-72 WIN AT USC UPSTATE; MOVES TO 2-0 IN BIG SOUTH


 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – With four players in double figures and another strong performance at the free throw line, the Radford men's basketball team came out on top, 79-72, against USC Upstate in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
 
With the game tied at 53-all and only 10 minutes left to play in regulation, the Highlanders took control with an 8-0 run that kept them in front for good. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. ignited the offense by scoring or assisting on eight straight points and then junior center Devonnte Holland scored six straight points of his own to give Radford a commanding 67-56 lead.
 
A trio of late 3-pointers by the Spartans kept things interesting, but the Highlanders hit their free throws when it mattered most for the second straight game to clinch another victory. With the win, Radford moves to 10-6 and goes 2-0 in the Big South for the third consecutive season while USC Upstate falls to 5-12 and 0-2 in conference play.
 
Polite Jr. led the way with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-5 clip at the charity stripe with seven rebounds and two steals. Redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones also had 16 points, going 5-for-8 from the floor and 5-for-7 on free throws to go along with his six assists and three rebounds.
 
Junior guard Travis Fields Jr. finished with 15 points and four steals while junior guard Donald Hicks rounded out Radford's top scorers with 13 points in a very efficient 5-for-7 effort. As a team, the Highlanders shot 28-for-50 (56.0%) and got to the free throw line 25 times.
 
Through 20 minutes of action the game remained tied at 33-33 with both teams shooting exactly 13-for-25 (52.0%) from the field. Fields Jr. paced the Highlanders early, beginning the game 4-for-4 with nine points less than four minutes into the contest.
 
After Radford took a 17-13 lead, the Spartans hit back with an 8-0 that reversed their fortunes and put them in front by a score of 21-17. Shooting a blazing 72.7-percent through the under-12 media timeout, USC Upstate stayed in front thanks to a Radford cold streak that stretched from 7:29 to 3:24 when graduate center Mawdo Sallah finally knocked down a jumper.
 
The Highlanders managed to buckle down on defense and find a rhythm on offense in the final few minutes of the half, though, and used a 9-2 run to tie things up before the break.
 
USC Upstate had three players finish in double figures, getting 13 from Malik Moore, 13 from Deion Holmes and 10 from Everette Hammond. Radford won the rebounding battle though, gaining a 30-27 advantage, which has been a sure-fire indicator for success this season.
 
PLAY OF THE GAME  
FIELDS' STEALS
Fields Jr. continues to be a force on the defensive end, collecting four steals against the Spartans including three in the first six minutes of the game. After nabbing 33 steals across 35 games in 2017-18, the Portsmouth, Va. native now has 31 steals in just 15 games this year.
 
He set a new season and career high in steals when he recorded six at James Madison on Dec. 4 and he followed that up with a five steal performance against Georgia Southern on Dec. 21.
 
RECORD WATCH
Polite Jr. went 4-for-5 from the free throw line to bring his career total to 323. The Lanham, Md. native passes Joey Lynch-Flohr (2006-10), who had 322 as a Highlander, and moves into 6th on Radford's all-time list.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Dedmon Center on Saturday, Jan. 12 to play Presbyterian College at 4:30 p.m. as a part of a Radford basketball doubleheader. 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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