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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Ed Polite Jr.
71
Winner Radford RAD 13-6, 5-0 BSC
63
UNC Asheville AVL 2-17, 0-5 BSC
Winner
Radford RAD
13-6, 5-0 BSC
71
Final
63
UNC Asheville AVL
2-17, 0-5 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford RAD 31 40 71
UNC Asheville AVL 22 41 63

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

POLITE'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE LIFTS RADFORD TO SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN


 
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Radford men's basketball team stayed composed in crunch time and secured a 71-63 victory over UNC Asheville at Kimmel Arena on Saturday to move to 5-0 in Big South play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
 
Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. served as the team's catalyst once again, posting 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 12 rebounds for his 34th career double-double. Redshirt sophomore Carlik Jones was also impressive, stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. As a team Radford shot 51.0% (25-49), the eighth time this season its shot 50% or better.
 
With the win, Radford improves to 13-6 overall and gets back to .500 on the road at 5-5. Now riding six straight wins, the Highlanders have had winning streaks of six or more in back-to-back seasons.
 
Heading into the game as heavy favorites, the Highlanders looked strong against the Bulldogs for much of the first half. The two sides traded baskets for the initial 10 minutes and Radford's lead was just two at 17-15.
 
The next six minutes completely belonged to the Highlanders though, as they proceeded to go on a 14-2 run that pushed their lead to 29-17. Polite Jr. scored both at the rim and in the mid-range before Hicks and Tanner connected on back-to-back threes to force a UNC Asheville timeout.
 
A continued dedication to defense kept the Bulldogs at bay for the rest of the period as Radford failed to score again over the final 3-plus minutes and the Highlanders ended up taking a 31-22 lead into the break. It was the second time Radford has held an opponent to under 30 points in the first half this season after Davis & Elkins scored 29 in the season opener.
 
Any shooting troubles Radford may have had in the first half disappeared in the second half. When UNC Asheville finally scored for the first time at the 17:50 mark, Polite Jr. was there to make a shot. And when they cut the lead to single digits, junior center Devonnte Holland showed off his range with a long jumper.
 
The lead built thanks to contributions from the bench including junior guard Devin Hutchinson who knocked down a corner three and sunk a put-back layup on back-to-back trips down the court with 7:52 to go. He finished with nine points to match backcourt mate Caleb Tanner's nine points.
 
Things got very interesting late in the game when the Bulldogs pieced together a 10-0 run to make it 64-59 with two minutes left in regulation, but the Highlanders struck back with a 6-0 mini-run to regain some comfort.
 
Radford's biggest boost in the final minutes of the contest was its improved free throw shooting which went from 1-of-5 (20%) in the first half to 11-of-16 (68.8%) in the second half. It was an important improvement too considering the Bulldogs struck all 12 of their free throw attempts on the day.
 
TWEET OF THE GAME  
STARTING LINEUP STABILITY
Coach Jones and his staff have deployed five different starting lineups this season, but one combination has risen above the rest. The quintet of Fields Jr., Jones, Hicks, Polite Jr. and Sallah have now started 11 straight games and are 10-2 when playing together so far this season.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
With his 18 points and 12 rebounds, Polite Jr. now has eight double-doubles through 19 games this season which moves him into a tie for 23rd in the nation. He also surpassed 140 career blocks, putting him at 141 total and just seven away from Brandon Holcomb's 148 which ranks third in program history.
 
UP NEXT
Playing their third game in a five-day stretch, the Highlanders make their return trip to Farmville, Va. to take on Longwood for the second time this season on Monday, Jan. 21. The game is slated for 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
 
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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