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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
carlik jones
60
Winner UNCG UNCG 8-2
58
Radford RAD 3-5
Winner
UNCG UNCG
8-2
60
Final
58
Radford RAD
3-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCG UNCG 31 29 60
Radford RAD 22 36 58

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

STRONG EFFORT BY CARLIK JONES COMES UP JUST SHORT AGAINST UNCG

RADFORD, Va. – It came down to the last possession and Carlik Jones had the hot hand all game, but misfired on the final shot of the game as the Radford men's basketball team fell to UNCG, 60-58, inside the Dedmon Center on Saturday.
 
After Isaiah Miller missed two free throws, Donald Hicks came down with a huge rebound and 28 seconds remaining on the clock. Down by two, the Radford offense tried to find the best shot opportunity, which looked to be an isolation play with Jones until Mike Jones called a timeout with 4.9 seconds remaining.
 
The Highlander head coach drew up a play, that left Jones with a good look on the left wing, but the whistle blew before Jones could fire the shot. A clock malfunction forced a re-do on the final possession and 2.5 ticks on the clock.
 
Devin Hutchinson inbounded the ball in front of the Highlander bench to Jones. The Cincinnati, Ohio native caught the ball at the top of the key, took one dribble to his left and rose up for a 3-pointer. The ball hit the back iron with no time on the clock and Radford suffered its fifth loss of the season.
 
UNCG (8-2) had a seven-point lead, 53-60, with less than a minute to play until Jones ran the floor and laid the ball in with 53 seconds. Radford had to prolong the game and send the Spartans to the foul line. James Dickey was sent to the line with 48 seconds for a one-and-one. He missed the front end and Hicks came away with the rebound then was immediately fouled.
 
With the Highlanders in the double bonus, Hicks could cut the game to one possession. However, he only hit the first but Radford's leading rebounder – Devine Eke – crashed the boards for a huge rebound on the second free throw. It wasn't the only big rebound he had on that possession as the Plainfield, N.J., native corralled a miss by Jones and converted on the put back. Eke's eighth point of the day made it a 58-60 contest with 39 seconds left.  
 
11 seconds later, Lewis Djonkam fouled Isiah Miller putting UNCG in the double bonus. Miller had 27 points but was making his first trip to the charity stripe. He missed both free throws, giving the Highlanders a chance to tie or take the lead on the final possession.
 
UNCG ended the first half on a 19-4 run and carried a 31-22 lead into halftime. However, Radford scored the last two points of the half and the first four of the second cutting the Spartan lead to five.  
 
The Highlanders hung around for most of the second half keeping it a two-possession contest. That was until the Spartans went on a 9-0 run for nearly three minutes of the second half and took their largest lead of the game (13) at the 7:42 mark.
 
Jones and the Highlanders have shown fight all season long and clawed their way back into it with a 13-4 run highlighted by eight points from Jones and a trio of 3-pointers – two from the redshirt junior. That cut the UNCG deficit to four points, 57-53, with 2:41 remaining. Radford shot 51.9 percent from the floor in the second half, almost 10 percent higher than it did in the first half.
 
Jones and Miller clashed individually all game long. Jones won the individual battle with 29 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Miller made 12 field goals on 21 attempts for a total of 27 points. He added three rebounds and three assists but committed a game-high four turnovers.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
Radford left 11 points on the foul line on Saturday converting 6-for-17 for 35.3 percent – the worst in any game all season. The Highlanders also tied a season-high with 14 turnovers, however 11 of them were committed in the first half.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Jones was the only player for Radford to score in double-figures. He led all players with 29, just two shy of a career-high. He made a career-high 11 field goals and shot a season-high 73.3 percent (11-for-15) from the floor. The Cincinnati, Ohio native also made a career-best five 3-pointers going 5-for-7 from deep. He's shooting 51.6 percent from 3-point range this season. Travis Fields, Jr., tacked on five assists, combining for 12 in the last two outings. The two leading scorers for Radford also led the team in fouls with four. UNCG's Kyrin Galloway was second on the team with 12 points and tacked on five rebounds.
 
TWEET OF THE GAME  
QUOTABLE
"It was another great game between two good teams," Mike Jones said. "Unfortunately, they found a way to make enough plays to win."
 
UP NEXT
Radford will hit the road for the next three contests, two of which are at neutral locations. The first is at Ellet High School in Akron, Ohio against Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 14th at 2 p.m. The Dukes currently sit at 7-0 on the season and have a game against Columbia on Monday night.
 
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.
 
 
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