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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
jones
61
Winner Winthrop WINTHROP 12-7 (6-0)
56
Radford RAD 10-8 (5-1)
Winner
Winthrop WINTHROP
12-7 (6-0)
61
Final
56
Radford RAD
10-8 (5-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Winthrop WINTHROP 27 34 61
Radford RAD 20 36 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

HIGHLANDERS FALL TO WINTHROP IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team fell to Winthrop, 61-56, on Monday night in a defensive battle between two Big South titans.
 
The Highlander defense showed how tough they can be to score against after holding the Eagles to just 61 points. Prior to Monday's game Winthrop averaged 82.7 points per game for the season and scored 94.4 points per game in league play.
 
Donald Hicks and Travis Fields, Jr., hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers to tie the game at 50 with 4:39 to play in the second half. Chandler Vaudrin made a layup 30 seconds later to give Winthrop the lead once again. On the ensuing possession Fields Jr., gave Radford the lead with a long ball from the left wing.
 
The Highlander faithful was buzzing and Winthrop (12-7, 6-0 Big South) was forced to call a timeout. D.J. Burns Jr. gave Winthrop the lead with a jumper in the paint before Carlik Jones hit a pair of free throws that put Radford ahead once more, 55-54, with 2:44 remaining. With the pair of free throws Jones reached 20 points for the fourth consecutive outing.
 
Burns Jr., scored four straight points in the late minutes of the game and Winthrop held a 58-55 lead with 1:29 remaining. A pair of missed shots by the Highlanders on the next possession, along with a rebound by Josh Ferguson and a foul by Lewis Djonkam, sent him to the foul line. Ferguson converted one-of-two from the line, pushing the Eagles' lead to four.
 
Fields Jr., was fouled on the next trip down the floor but could only cut the lead to three, 59-56. Radford (10-8, 5-1 Big South) missed its final three field goals – all 3-point attempts – and Winthrop hit two of its final four free throws inside the final 30 seconds to clinch its eighth straight victory.
 
The shot by Fields Jr., that gave Radford a 53-52 lead with 3:45 remaining was the team's last field goal of the game. Burns Jr., scored seven of the final nine Eagle points to clinch the victory. Four of those seven points came inside the paint.
 
Jones led the Highlanders with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. It was a season-high 10 boards and his first double-double by points and rebounds since Feb. 2, 2019 when he had 23 points and 10 rebounds at Winthrop.
 
Radford's first lead of the game came at the 4:44 mark in the first half when Jones broke a 13-13 tie with a mid-range jumper. After that, Winthrop closed out the first half with a 14-5 run to take a 27-20 lead.
 
Winthrop kept the lead for a majority of the second half but Radford cut it to a one possession game eight different times before taking its first lead of the half with 3:45 to play.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
The Highlanders shot 20.7 percent from 3-point range – the lowest 3-point percentage they've tallied all season. The Eagles were held to their third-lowest field goal percentage of the year at 38.6 from the floor. Radford was previously 7-0 when holding teams to less than 40 percent shooting this season.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Jones led all players in scoring with 20 points and added 10 rebounds. Fields Jr., was second on the team with 12 points and led the team with three 3-pointers. The Eagles picked up 47 rebounds but Radford tallied 43 – the highest against a Division I opponent this year. The Highlanders also led on the offensive glass, 17-16. Radford scored 30 points in the paint compared to Winthrop's 26. Burns Jr., led the Eagles with 19 points scored, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor.
 
QUOTABLE
"I love the way our team competed, right down to the final horn," Mike Jones said. "(Winthrop) came ready, we knew they would be. We came ready. It was a heck of a game and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we didn't close the deal but I look forward to an opportunity to get back on the practice floor tomorrow and continue to get better. I love this group, I love the way they compete, I love the heart that they have. When we wake up tomorrow, we have to turn our focus to the next game. We'll get another chance to see Winthrop down the line."
 
UP NEXT
After a quick trip home, Radford will hit the road for its third road game in a week's time. The Highlanders head to UNC Asheville for a Thursday night matchup at 6 p.m.  
 
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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