RADFORD LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK AT UNC ASHEVILLE

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Radford men's basketball team continues conference play with a trip to Kimmel Arena for a meeting with UNC Asheville on Thursday night at 6 p.m.

Radford (10-8, 5-1 Big South) will look to bounce back after its first conference loss on Monday night. It was the Highlanders third game in five days and first of the three-game swing played inside the Dedmon Center.

The Highlander defense showed how tough they can be to score against after holding the Eagles to just 61 points in the 61-56 loss. 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.

Carlik Jones collected his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The 10 rebounds were a season-high and his 20 points led all players. It was his fourth consecutive 20-plus point outing and fifth in the last six games.

He moved into 15^th all-time in total points at Radford. He has 1,253 points in a Radford uniform and is averaging 19.0 points this season – the most of any season in his career. The Cincinnati, Ohio native needs eight rebounds for 400 in his career, as well as 12 assists for 400. He ranks second in the Big South in points per game and second in assists with 5.2 per contest.

Jones has also been shooting the ball well from the charity stripe all season long and especially in conference play. He ranks third in the league with a 94.9 free throw percentage in conference games. He's 37-for-39 from the foul line through the first six conference games and leads the Big South in free throw makes and attempts.

Travis Fields, Jr., has also been shooting well from the free throw line and ranks 15^th in the Big South in free throw percentage in conference only games. The Portsmouth, Va., native sits seventh in overall free throw percentage this year. He's tabbed seven consecutive 10-plus point outings and has 12 this season.

Donald Hicks has heated up from beyond the arc in his last three games with 10 3-pointers. He sits inside Radford's top 10 in career 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage. He's one shy of knocking down his 200^th career long ball.

UNC Asheville (8-9, 2-4 Big South) is coming off its second road victory in conference play after defeating Longwood, 71-66, in a down-to-the-wire thriller Monday night in Farmville. Although the team has lost four Big South games, UNC Asheville hasn't lost a conference game by more than two points. However, the Bulldogs haven't won one by more than five.

Four Bulldogs rank inside the Top 16 in scoring in the Big South. DeVon Baker ranks fifth at 15.9, while Tajion Jones sits at sixth with 15.8. Lavar Batts, Jr. is 12^th averaging 13.2 points and LJ Thorpe's 12.7 rounds out the top 16.

UNC Asheville ranks first in the Big South and 56^th nationally, hitting 36.1 percent from three. They are second in the conference and 39th nationally with 9.2 makes per game from beyond the arc. Coty Jude and T. Jones rank second and third, respectively, in the conference in 3-point makes per game at 2.4.

The Bulldogs are averaging 78.1 points per game, ranking 37th in the country and second in the Big South. The Bulldogs finished the 2018-19 campaign ranked 349th nationally in scoring, averaging 59.9 points per game. The team is averaging 18.2 more points per game than it did last season.

The Bulldogs force their opponents into 19.1 turnovers per game, which ranks sixth in the country. They also average 9.5 steals per game, ranking 12^th in the nation. Batts, Jr. is second in the Big South and 41st in the NCAA, averaging 2.1 steals per game.

Radford holds a one-game lead, 37-36, in the all-time series with UNC Asheville that dates back to the 1986 Big South Tournament. The Highlanders won last season's lone matchup, 71-63, inside Kimmel Arena.

Thursday'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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