Men's Basketball 1/16/2019 9:45:00 AM

THURSDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN WITH GARDNER-WEBB SET FOR ESPNU

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RADFORD, Va. - The Radford men's basketball team returns to the national stage when it hosts fellow Big South contender Gardner-Webb on Thursday night in the Dedmon Center.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
Date/Time: Thursday, January 17 at 9 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
TV: ESPNU
Watch Live (ESPN3)
Listen Live (WRAD 101.7 FM)
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LAST TIME OUT
The Radford men's basketball team triumphed in yet another conference game to extend its winning streak to four with a 79-77 victory over Presbyterian College at the Dedmon Center on Saturday.

Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. had a monster game, scoring a season-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting including a season-high four three-pointers. He also added nine rebounds and three steals. Redshirt sophomore Carlik Jones was his main provider, finishing with 11 assists to go with 15 points for his third career double-double.

SERIES HISTORY
In the head-to-head series with Gardner-Webb, Radford owns a 9-11 record across 20 meetings. The two programs first met during the 2007-08 season when the visiting team won each game.

The Highlanders and Bulldogs split the two games last season. Radford fell, 59-54, in Boiling Springs before getting revenge with a 70-66 victory on ESPNU in the Dedmon Center three weeks later.

ALL EYES ON US
Radford men's basketball played five games on national television last season including two on ESPNU during the regular season, one on ESPN for the Big South Championship, one on TruTV in the NCAA First Four and one on TNT in the NCAA First Round. In those five games, the Highlanders went 4-1 despite playing on such a big stage.

HOME, SWEET HOME
Radford has now won 10 straight games in the Dedmon Center dating back to Feb. 15, 2018 with a perfect 7-0 record still intact for home games played during the 2018-19 season. The Highlanders' last loss at home came on Feb. 7, 2018 when they dropped a narrow 61-60 decision to High Point.

Radford improved to 63-22 in front of their home fans since the 2012-13 season with a 79-77 win against Presbyterian on Saturday.

TOP-10 SCORERS
Both senior forward Ed Polite Jr. and redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones moved into Radford's All-Time Top-10 Scoring lists on Saturday.

With 1,323 points scored across 115 games played, Polite Jr. passed Tyrone Travis (1,313), David Smith (1,313) and Rashun Davis (1,304) all in one game to move from 13^th to 10^th on the career scoring chart. Meanwhile, Jones moved into a tie for ninth on the career points per game list with Raymond Arrington at 13.0.

SCOUTING THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
In their sixth season under head coach Tim Craft, the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs were only slated to finish sixth out of 11 teams in the Big South Conference this season. Finishing that low doesn't seem very likely at this point now that we've seen what this team is capable of.

Led by redshirt senior guard David Efianayi, who was a First All-Big South preseason selection, and senior forward DJ Laster, the Runnin' Bulldogs are 11-6 with wins over ACC opponents Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. They bounced back from a 72-61 loss at Campbell with a 64-59 win against USC Upstate to move to 1-1 on conference play.

One of the biggest reasons GWU has found success this season is the addition of freshman guard Jose Perez to the rotation. The Bronx, N.Y. native is averaging 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and has already been named Big South Freshman of the Week three times. He even has a triple-double under his belt. With his help, the Runnin' Bulldogs have a legitimate shot at winning the conference title, but they'll have to go through the Highlanders to do it.

NEXT HOME GAME
After a pair of road games, the Highlanders continue their quest for a Big South regular season title when they welcome Charleston Southern to the Dedmon Center on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 pm. The game marks the first with students back in town following winter break so big crowds are expected. 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

#5 Rashun Davis: G; 5' 11"; Senior

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

Players Mentioned

#5 Rashun Davis
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

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

Players Mentioned

#5 Rashun Davis

#1 Carlik Jones

Players Mentioned

#5 Rashun Davis

#1 Carlik Jones