HICKS LEADS RADFORD TO 75-58 VICTORY OVER GARDNER-WEBB ON NATIONAL TV

Thursday, January 17

Radford

9 P.M.

Radford University

12-6, 4-0BSC

Gardner-Webb

11-7, 1-2BSC

Team	1	2	F
Gardner-Webb	31	27	58
Radford	37	38	75

HICKS LEADS RADFORD TO 75-58 VICTORY OVER GARDNER-WEBB ON NATIONAL TV

1/17/2019 11:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Follow @RadfordMBB

MIKE JONES POSTGAME INTERVIEW

DONALD HICKS POSTGAME INTERVIEW

RADFORD, Va. – Playing in front of a rowdy home crowd and the millions more at home watching on ESPNU, the Radford men's basketball team earned a convincing 75-58 victory over Gardner-Webb at the Dedmon Center on Thursday night.

The win improves the Highlanders' Big South record to 4-0, making them the last remaining unbeaten in the conference this season. Their overall record also jumps to 12-6 thanks to a five-game win streak and a perfect 8-0 record at home. Meanwhile, the Runnin' Bulldogs drop to 11-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Junior guard Donald Hicks played out of his mind, tying his season high with 18 points thanks to a career best-tying six 3-pointers on 11 attempts. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. had another great game as well, posting 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.

Junior guard Travis Fields Jr. rounded out Radford's top scorers with 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. As a team, the Highlanders went 13-for-26 (50%) from downtown and 28-of-57 (49.1%) from the field.

Knowing it would take a complete effort to beat the Runnin' Bulldogs, Radford came out swinging for the fences in the first half. A 20-to-10 advantage in rebounding and seven 3-pointers were key in the Highlanders' ability to take a 37-31 lead into halftime.

Following a Jaheam Cornwall 3-pointer that made it a one-point game with 12:56 to go in the period, Radford went on a 10-2 tear that pushed their lead to 22-13 by the time 9:18 hit the clock. Hicks was key in the run, knocking down two of his 3-pointers during that stretch.

With every basket Gardner-Webb made, the Highlanders found a way to answer and maintain a healthy lead for the rest of the half. A Fields Jr. shot from way downtown and found nothing but net to increase the lead to 30-18 with less than six minutes to go, but GWU cut their deficit in half to keep things close.

The visitors continued hitting back throughout the second half, minimizing Radford's lead to just three with eight minutes to play. It didn't matter though, because the Highlanders once again showed they're one of the most poised teams in the country when faced with adversity.

Over the final eight minutes of the game, Radford connected on 8-of-9 shots and completed a 19-5 run to completely take control of the game. Polite Jr. was the one to begin the streak, getting to the rim on back-to-back possessions before junior guard Devin Hutchinson and senior guard Caleb Tanner delivered clutch threes off the bench.

By the time the game came to an end, the Highlanders had owned the lead for a whopping 34+ minutes while trailing for just two minutes.

PLAY OF THE GAME

2H | 7:23

Radford 58
Gardner-Webb 53

THROW IT DOWN, BIG FELLA!#RiseAndDefend | #BigSouthMBB pic.twitter.com/0iLTxjtCKq
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordMBB) January 18, 2019

HOLLAND'S HOUSE
With starting center Mawdo Sallah facing some foul trouble, junior center Devonnte Holland came to the rescue with eight points and eight rebounds across a career-high 30 minutes of playing time. Over his past five games, the Martinsville, Va. native has gone 22-for-27 from the free throw line.

MOVIN' ON UP
Polite Jr. became one of the top-10 scorers in program history last weekend and tonight he moved up to number nine. Now at 1,340 career points, the Lanham, Md. native passed Ron Shelburne (1987-91) who scored 1,332 points as a Highlander and now serves as the team's color commentator on ESPN+.

UP NEXT
The Highlanders get back on the road straight away and travel to UNC Asheville for a 4:30 p.m. meeting with the Bulldogs this Saturday, Jan. 19. Still looking to find their footing under first-year head coach Mike Morrell, the Bulldogs are 2-14 and 0-4 in Big South play.

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.