RADFORD TAKES DOWN NORTHWESTERN ON TUESDAY NIGHT

Tuesday, November 19

Evanston, Ill.

8 p.m.

Radford University

2-2,0-0Big Sout

Northwestern

1-2,0-0Big Ten

Team	1	2	F
Radford	31	36	67
Northwestern	17	39	56

Photo by: Dan Garcia

RADFORD TAKES DOWN NORTHWESTERN ON TUESDAY NIGHT

11/19/2019 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

EVANSTON, Ill. – For the second straight season the Radford men's basketball team knocked off another Power Five opponent. This time the Highlanders downed Northwestern, 67-56, on Tuesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

After Radford (2-2) scored the opening basket, Northwestern (1-2) went on a 12-2 run and took a 12-4 lead through the first five and a half minutes of play. Radford combated that run with an even bigger run. Devine Eke hit a free throw at 14:26 and that began the scoring run. Donald Hicks hit a jumper, Travis Fields, Jr., made a pair of free throws and Eke made a layup that cut the deficit to one, 12-11, with 10:40 to play.

Carlik Jones made his presence known by draining a pair of 3-pointers that gave Radford a 17-12 lead. That was only six of his 20 total points on Tuesday night, which led him to become the 32^nd player in program history with 1,000 career points.

Leroy Butts IV and Lewis Djonkam continued the run making a couple of baskets that extended the lead to 21-12 with 4:31 remaining in the first half. Meanwhile, on the other end the Wildcats couldn't make a shot as the Highlander defense forced seven turnovers and held Northwestern scoreless over 11:49. The 17-0 run wasn't the only run the Highlanders had.

Radford ended the period on a 7-0 run, which totaled to a 27-5 run over the final 14:07 of the first half, and took a 31-17 lead into the break. The Highlanders held Northwestern to 23 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from 3-point range in the first half, while connecting on 12-of-27 (44 percent) on the offensive end.

The lead quickly grew from 14 to 21 as Jones hit a transition trey ball with 12:19 in the second half. That gave the Highlanders a 47-26 lead. Radford hit five second half 3-pointers and shot 45.0 percent from beyond the arc (9-for-20) for the duration of the game.

Radford tied its largest lead of the game at the 7:01 mark in the second half as Butts IV banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing, which made it a 56-35 contest. However, the Wildcats still had some fight in them.

Northwestern kept chipping away at the lead and eventually cut the deficit to eight with 1:19 remaining. The Wildcats began to foul and see if they could cut the deficit anymore but the Highlanders made 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to pick up its first win over a Big Ten opponent since Nov. 24, 2015.

STAT OF THE GAME
Radford held the Wildcats to 33 percent field goal shooting and 14 percent from 3-point land. The 14 3-point percentage is the lowest this season and the lowest since the 2017-18 season when Longwood went 2-for-18 totaling 11.1 percent on Feb. 24, 2018.

DID YOU KNOW
Radford has beaten three Power 5 opponents in the last 16 non-conference games played dating back to last year. It's the fifth Power 5 victory for the Highlanders during the Mike Jones era. Radford also topped Big East foe Georgetown on Nov. 14, 2015.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Highlanders shot 41.8 percent from the floor and went 9-for-20 (45 percent) from 3-point range. Jones led all players with 20 points and seven assists. Fields Jr., shot 50 percent (3-of-6) from beyond the arc. Radford outrebounded the Wildcats, 36-30, and has not lost the rebounding battle in four games this season.

TWEET OF THE GAME

Welcome to the 1,000 point club, Carlik Jones!#RiseAndDefend x #BigSouthMBB pic.twitter.com/ShnybqhLmt
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordMBB) November 20, 2019

QUOTABLE
"We didn't start the game off great," Mike Jones said. "We were not locked in. After the first media timeout something clicked and our defense was solid. We weren't spectacular but we were solid and solid was good enough for about a 10-minute stretch when they had trouble scoring. We had some nice team plays where we drove in there against the zone and got some really good looks on the offensive end. Defensively to hold a Big Ten team to 17 points is a good half."

UP NEXT
Radford will remain in the Prairie State and travel to Peoria, Ill., for a contest with Bradley. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMBB on Twitter, 'radfordmbb' Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.