RADFORD HOSTS JAMES MADISON IN COMMONWEALTH CLASH

RADFORD, Va. – After three weeks away from the Dedmon Center, the Radford men's basketball team returns home to face Commonwealth foe James Madison on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

Recently, Radford was on the wrong end of an 80-63 contest at Monmouth last Tuesday at the OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch, N.J. The Highlanders tallied the lowest shooting percentage they've had all season going 23-for-66 from the field (34.8 percent). Despite the poor shooting performance, Radford remained within one or two possessions until the halfway point of the second half.

Donald Hicks started his 100^th game in a Radford uniform last week and is three starts shy of cracking the top-10 in games started at Radford. Carlik Jones led the Highlanders with 17 points, while Travis Fields, Jr., was right behind him with 16 against the Hawks. Hicks was third with nine points, knocking down a season-high three 3-pointers.

Averaging 20.0 points per game, Jones still ranks second in the league behind Hampton's Jermaine Marrow but still leads all Highlanders. He and Fields Jr., have had most of Radford's offensive output this season as the twosome is averaging a combined 31.8 points.

The Highlanders are averaging nearly 70 points per outing and shooting 41.9 percent from the field. Defensively, Radford is only allowing 64.7 points per game, which ranks first in the Big South. Along with outscoring its opponents, the Highlanders are outrebounding them with a +3.4 rebounding margin and have forced more turnovers than committed (+1.6 turnover margin). Radford has taken advantage of the turnovers averaging 15.5 points off turnovers.

James Madison enters the contest with a 5-3 record that includes some quality mid-major wins. Most recently, the Dukes were one-point shy of the century mark with a 99-89 victory over East Carolina on Saturday. They shot 60 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from long range in the 10-point victory. JMU has also beaten New Hampshire, Old Dominion, Charlotte and Shenandoah.

James Madison is averaging 76.8 points per game, but allowing 75.3. The Dukes have two players in double-figure scoring led by guard Matt Lewis. Lewis leads the team with 18.4 points and 4.9 assists per game. The other guard, Darius Banks, has 14.3 points per outing. He also leads the team with 24 3-pointers made and is shooting 42.1 percent from behind the arc. Lewis and Banks have started all eight games for the Dukes and have accounted for 42.5 percent of team's scoring all season.

Freshman Michael Christmas was named CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday for his perfect shooting performance against ECU. He averaged 9.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on the week, kicking off the stretch by racking up 13 boards and two blocks against Coppin State on Tuesday before erupting for an 18-point performance in the win over East Carolina that saw him go 6-of-6 from the field and hit all five of his 3-pointers.

It will be the Dukes first game away from home since Nov. 20. James Madison is 1-2 on the road this season with a loss at No. 11 Virginia on Nov. 10 and George Mason on Nov. 16.

Wednesday marks the third meeting in the last three years between the two schools. James Madison won the most recent meeting last year, inside the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, while the Highlanders defended home court with a win in 2017-18 thanks to a last second layup from Ed Polite Jr. Radford trails 3-13 in the all-time series with James Madison.

The game versus JMU is 'Salute To Service' where all military members in attendance will be honored and halftime will feature the U.S. Army Future Soldier Swear-In ceremony. Military members can also show their Military ID at the ticket office and receive up to two (2) free tickets with the ability to purchase additional tickets at a discounted rate.

The first 250 Radford University students in attendance will receive a FREE Radford embroidered 'RiseAndDefend' keychain courtesy of Radford Athletics.

The game can be seen on ESPN+ or heard live online through Stretch Internet or radio outlets, WRAD 101.7 FM and WVRU 89.9 FM.

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