HIGHLANDERS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT WINTHROP

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team hits the road looking to get back on track when it goes head-to-head with Winthrop on Saturday afternoon.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Winthrop Eagles (14-7, 6-2 Big South)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 2^nd at 2 p.m.
Location: Winthrop Coliseum (Rock Hill, S.C.)
Watch Live (ESPN+)
Listen Live (WRAD 101.7 FM)
Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Leading by two in the final moments, the Radford men's basketball team fell victim to a Chris Clemons buzzer-beating heave that resulted in an absolutely heartbreaking 68-67 defeat to Campbell at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.

The Highlanders led 67-60 with only 42 seconds remaining in regulation, but a series of missed free throws allowed the Camels to climb back into the game. One of those missed free throws landed in the hands of Isaac Chatman with 6.4 seconds left before he handed the ball off to Clemons.

The nation's leading scorer charged up the court and launched a three-point attempt from 35 feet away that went straight in. He finished with 39 points on 11-of-22 shooting while no other Campbell player scored more than nine points on the night.

SERIES HISTORY
Radford owns a slim 38-36 advantage in the all-time series with Winthrop across 74 all-time meetings. The first contest between the two programs came on Jan. 19, 1985 when Radford defeated Winthrop, 68-49.

The Highlanders won two out of three games against the Eagles last season including a 61-52 victory in the Big South semifinals. Jones led the team with 16 points and a career-high six steals while Polite Jr. added 13 points and Fields Jr. scored 11 of his own.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
The Highlanders have excelled when it comes to moving the ball on offense and racking up assists this season. They currently rank 60^th out of 353 teams in the nation with 322 total assists and 51^st in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.27. Jones is a major reason why; the Cincinnati, Ohio native now ranks 28^th out of all players in the country with 5.9 assists per game.

TANNER HITS 200
Senior guard Caleb Tanner made history on Wednesday night. With his first 3-pointer of the game, the Floyd, Va. native became the eighth player in Radford history to make 200 or more in his career. He now has 201, putting him just one behind Leslie Ballard (1995-99) and a full 200 behind the all-time program leader, Doug Day (1989-93).

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Winthrop's offense is not only one of the most potent in the Big South, but in the entire country. Now in head coach Pat Kelsey's seventh season at the helm, the Eagles rank eighth in the nation in scoring offense with 86.1 points per game. They're willing to launch shots from just about anywhere on the court and are the top team in the country with 264 made 3-pointers on the season.

Because of their fast-paced offense and high volume of shots, the Eagles also rank near the top of the charts in several rebounding categories as well. They are 10^th in defensive rebounds per game (29.9), 13^th in total rebounds per game (40.95) and 33^rd in rebounding margin (+5.8).

Senior guard Nych Smith has boosted his points per game average from 7.1 in 2017-18 to 17.4 in 2018-19 which currently leads the team. He also leads Winthrop with 3.9 assists per game while junior forward Josh Ferguson leads the Eagles in rebounding (7.4 per game).

NEXT HOME GAME
Radford has a pair of road games before returning to the Dedmon Center on Saturday, Feb. 9 to host High Point and its new head coach, Tubby Smith. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased on RadfordTickets.com or by calling the Radford Ticket Office at (540) 831-7889 during business hours.

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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Players Mentioned

#10 Caleb Tanner: G; 6' 1"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Caleb Tanner
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

Players Mentioned

#10 Caleb Tanner

Players Mentioned

#10 Caleb Tanner