Men's Basketball 1/17/2020 3:44:00 PM

HIGHLANDERS AND BLUE HOSE PUT PERFECT CONFERENCE RECORDS ON THE LINE SATURDAY

CLINTON, S.C. – Two of the three unbeaten teams in Big South play go head-to-head on Saturday as the Radford men's basketball team travels to Clinton, S.C., to face Presbyterian at 4 p.m.

Radford (9-7, 4-0 Big South) is red hot entering Saturday's contest with a six game-winning streak. The Highlanders two starting guards, Carlik Jones and Travis Fields, Jr., have a lot to do with the high-caliber play as of late.

Both players have scored 10 or more points during the streak with Jones' adding three 20-plus point outings. His most recent saw him score 23 points against USC Upstate on Thursday night. Fields Jr., has scored 15 or more in four of his last five outings and has hit multiple 3-pointers in his last six games.

The Portsmouth, Va., native added a clutch 3-pointer and two clutch free throws late in the game on Thursday night that helped Radford erase a 10-point deficit against USC Upstate. Donald Hicks provided a season-high 13 points on Thursday knocking down three 3-pointers. Radford played outstanding defense against the Spartans and tallied eight blocks – the most in any game since the 2016-17 season.

Devine Eke and Devonnte Holland delivered six of the eight blocks with three apiece. Eke recorded his 100^th career block after picking up 50 in his time at Maine, 39 at Rider and 11 this season. It was the second time Holland recorded three blocks in a game in the last two years.

Radford has only allowed an average of 62.0 points in the first four conference games and leads the league with 63.6 points allowed per game overall. Opponents are only shooting 40.8 percent against the Highlanders and Radford is 7-0 this season when holding opponents to less than 40 percent from the floor. Along with the lowest field goal percentage allowed, the Highlanders have the second-lowest opposing 3-point field goal percentage (30.9) in the Big South and leads the league offensively in 3-point percentage (35.7).

The Highlanders have taken care of the ball on the offensive end and rank eighth in total turnovers (153) and 10^th in turnovers per game (10.8). Radford has committed less than 15 turnovers in every game this season and has committed less than 10 in six of the 16 games.

Radford holds a 16-7 all-time record against the Blue Hose but this is one of the biggest matchups between the two schools in the early stages of conference play. Radford defeated Presbyterian twice last season and has won six straight against the Blue Hose. The Highlanders boast a 6-4 record when playing at the Templeton Center in Clinton.

One of three unbeaten teams in Big South play, Presbyterian (7-10, 4-0 Big South) has won five in a row, not losing since Dec. 21 at Michigan. Three of the four conference games PC has played in were decided by less than 10 points.

The Blue Hose set the tone with a 79-77 win over UNC Asheville and then topped Gardner-Webb on the road, 68-62, in their first two games. PC then beat High Point by 15 points and held a double-digit lead for a majority of the game against Longwood on Thursday. However, the Lancers made it a seven-point game before the final buzzer.

Cory Hightower has been the Blue Hose's leading scorer and rebounder in three of the team's four Big South games (14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in the four contests). The 6-7 sophomore ranks 15th in Big South scoring averaging 12.4 points and sixth in rebounding with 6.1 per game.

Forward Ben Drake and guard Chris Martin are second in team scoring averaging 9.5 and 9.4 points, respectively. Martin leads the team with 53 assists (3.1 per game). PC's 4-0 conference record marks the best league start for the team in its DI history.

Saturday's 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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