MEN’S BASKETBALL SET TO MEET UNBEATEN DUQUESNE IN AKRON

AKRON, Ohio – After a week away from competition, the Radford men's basketball team will hit the road to face unbeaten Duquesne at Ellet High School in Akron, Ohio on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Last time out, the Highlanders fell to UNCG by two points, 58-60. Despite having the better shooting percentage, Radford went 6-for-17 from the free throw line and tied a season-high with 14 turnovers.

If Carlik Jones missed on Saturday it was a rarity. The redshirt junior led all players with 29 points and made a career-high 11 field goals, while shooting a season-high 73.3 percent (11-for-15) from the floor. Jones also made a career-best five 3-pointers going 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. The 29-point performance came after his near triple-double against James Madison.

The Cincinnati, Ohio native will head back to his home state as the reigning Big South Player of the Week. He averaged 26 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists through the pair of contests last week. Jones shot 62.5 percent (20-for-32) from the floor and 60 percent (6-for-10) from 3-point range during the home stretch. He now leads the Big South in scoring and ranks 13th nationally with 21.5 points per contest.

The team's second leading scorer is Travis Fields, Jr., averaging 10.9 points per game. The senior is leading the team with 30.8 minutes per game. Fields Jr., had 12 of his 26 assists during the last two games. He tallied seven against James Madison and led the team with five against UNCG.

Donald Hicks has connected from long range eight times in the last three games. He corralled seven rebounds against UNCG, which set a season-high. His lone 3-pointer against the Spartans on Saturday gave him 179 career 3-point field goals moving him into sole possession for 10^th most in Radford history.

The Highlanders have only committed 87 turnovers all season, which ranks ninth in all of NCAA Basketball. As a team Radford is averaging 10.9 turnovers per game ranking 15^th in the nation and has a +1.1 turnover margin.

Duquesne (8-0) is one of five teams in the nation to remain unbeaten so far this season and is off to its best start since 1971-72. The Dukes have come back from double-digit deficits to win four times this season against Princeton (-14), Indiana State and Loyola Marymount (-12) and VMI (-11). Duquesne is receiving votes (1) in the current AP Top 25.

The Dukes have six players averaging between 8.9 and 12.3 points per game, led by preseason Third Team All-A-10 pick Sincere Carry with 12.3 points per game. Duquesne ranks sixth nationally in 3-point defense (.248) & 11th in scoring defense (56.9). Indiana State is the only team to score over 70 against Duquesne this year in a 74-71 contest. Like Radford, Duquesne is inside the nation's top 15 in fewest turnovers committed. The Dukes have accounted for 93 turnovers through eight games, ranking 15^th.

Michael Hughes is 11^th in the country averaging 3.0 blocked shots per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native has 24 blocks this season, which leads the team that is ranked fifth nationally with 6.8 blocks per outing. The Dukes have racked up 54 total blocks this season.

Duquesne has also outscored its opponents 340-234 in the second half this year.

The Dukes hold a 6-1 lead all-time against the Highlanders. Radford won the first meeting between the two schools in 1996, 65-64, inside the Dedmon Center. All of the meetings but one has been decided by 10 points or less.

The two teams met in Akron, Ohio last season in the LeBron James Arena at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Radford couldn't overcome cold shooting in the second half and from 3-point range for the entirety of the game and fell to the Dukes, 69-64. Jones was one of the leading scorers with 14 points.

Saturday's game will not be streamed or televised but can be heard live online through Stretch Internet or radio outlets, WRAD 101.7 FM and WVRU 89.9 FM. The game is also FREE and open to the public.

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