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Caleb Tanner

Men's Basketball

RADFORD AND GARDNER-WEBB BATTLE FOR TICKET TO BIG DANCE ON SUNDAY


 
RADFORD, Va. – The second-seeded Radford men's basketball team will go head-to-head with fourth-seeded Gardner-Webb for the Big South title and a chance to play in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. It's the first time the two programs will ever meet in the Big South Tournament.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: No. 4 Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (22-11, 10-6 Big South)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
Watch Live (ESPN & ESPN3)
Listen Live (WRAD 101.7 FM)
Live Stats
Buy Tickets
 
LAST TIME OUT
Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the second-seeded Radford men's basketball team once again showed the Big South and the nation how tough it is with a 63-54 come-from-behind victory over No. 6 Charleston Southern in Gore Arena on Friday night.
 
The Highlanders came out for the second half looking to make a splash, but at first were denied as all of their comeback efforts were rebuffed. The Buccaneers still led by 12 with 14:53 left in regulation. An old-fashion 3-point play by junior guard Travis Fields Jr. ignited something in each and every Radford player and from that point on they would go on a 14-0 run.
 
A pair of threes from way downtown courtesy of redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones were a major factor during that run and all of a sudden the Highlanders owned a 43-41 lead with 11:07 to go.
 
Radford battled with everything it had, losing the lead only one more time for the rest of the game before taking control and playing from ahead. Big free throws from Fields Jr. and junior guard Donald Hicks, as well as an exclamation-point dunk from Jones, secured the semifinal win.
 
SERIES HISTORY
In the head-to-head series with Gardner-Webb, Radford owns a 10-11 record across 21 meetings. The two programs first met during the 2007-08 season when the visiting team won each game.
 
The Highlanders and Bulldogs split two games last season, but Radford won the lone regular season contest this year. Hicks went off for 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from deep while Polite Jr. nearly recorded a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Fields Jr. added four 3-pointers for 14 points as well and the game ended 75-58 in favor of Radford in the Dedmon Center.
 
CRASH THE BOARDS
Radford dominated the boards against No. 6 Charleston Southern in the semifinals for a 45-33 advantage in rebounds. That gives the team 11 straight games with either a lead or a tie in overall rebounds. The Highlanders are now 18-3 when out-rebounding their opponents in 2018-19 and 98-45 under Coach Jones.
 
SCOUTING THE RUNNIN' BULLDOGS
In their sixth season under head coach Tim Craft, the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs were only slated to finish sixth out of 11 teams in the Big South Conference. They ended up placing fourth with a 10-6 record and will play in their first-ever Big South title game.
 
Led by redshirt senior guard David Efianayi, who was a Second Team All-Big South selection, and senior forward DJ Laster, the Runnin' Bulldogs are 22-11 overall with wins over ACC opponents Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. GWU defeated No. 5 High Point in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Campbell in the semifinals to make history.
 
One of the biggest reasons GWU has found success this season is the addition of freshman guard Jose Perez to the rotation. The All-Freshman Team honoree is averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He even has a triple-double under his belt.
 
As a team, Gardner-Webb is averaging 78.4 points while allowing just 70.7 points per game to opponents. They lead the conference with a .491 field goal percentage, a .393 3-point shooting percentage and a .327 percentage in 3-point field goal defense. One possible weakness comes on the boards; their rebounding margin currently stands at -0.9 through 33 games.
 
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

Donald Hicks

#5 Donald Hicks

G
6' 3"
Junior
Carlik Jones

#1 Carlik Jones

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Donald Hicks

#5 Donald Hicks

6' 3"
Junior
G
Carlik Jones

#1 Carlik Jones

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
G