HIGHLANDERS HOST HAMPTON IN MATCHUP OF BIG SOUTH’S BEST SCORERS

RADFORD, Va. – The Big South Conference's top two scorers, and three of the top four scorers in conference play, will square off on Saturday afternoon when the Radford men's basketball team welcomes the Hampton Pirates to the Dedmon Center for a 4 p.m., tip.

Radford (10-9, 5-2 Big South) is seeking to return to its winning ways after dropping consecutive Big South contests against Winthrop and UNC Asheville. The Highlanders shot just a combined 37.7 percent from the field and 20.4 percent from 3-point range in those two games. The team was averaging 47.3 percent shooting and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc in their first five conference games, which all resulted in wins.

Highlander guard Carlik Jones ranks second in the Big South in scoring at 18.9 points per game, and his 20.0 points per game in conference games ranks fourth in the league. Jones also recently cracked the top-15 in Radford history in scoring and has 1,271 points in his career.

Jones was one of three Radford players in double-figures in the Highlanders' loss to UNC Asheville, finishing with 18 in the game. Travis Fields, Jr., led Radford with a seaon-best 20 and Devine Eke had 13 on Thursday night. The Highlander defense limited UNC Asheville to just 33 points in the second half and just 30 percent from behind the line, but was unable to overcome an early Bulldog offensive attack.

Fields Jr. notched his eighth consecutive game with 10 or more points and now has 13 such games this season. The Portsmouth, Virginia, native is averaging nearly 15 points per game against Big South foes, and also averages three assists and two rebounds per game in league action.

Hampton's high-flying offense enters the weekend averaging 78.2 points per game overall and 85.7 in conference play. The Pirates (9-10, 4-2 Big South) boast the Big South's top two scorers in conference play in Jermaine Marrow (26.3) and Ben Stanley (23.8). Stanley leads the conference in overall scoring at 22.1 points per game, though Marrow (25.5 per game) would also hold that honor as well had he not missed six games earlier in the season.

The Pirates' defense allows opposing teams to score nearly 80 points per game, a mark which ranks last in the Big South and 338th overall among the 350 full-status Division I teams. That number increases to 87.3 points allowed per game in Big South games, the worst mark in the conference by nearly 14 points per game.

This will be the ninth meeting between the schools as each team has four wins. The two teams split the season series last year, with each team winning on the opposition's home court. Radford and Hampton have never met at a neutral setting, but each school is 2-2 in its home arena.

Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN3 or heard live online through Stretch Internet or radio outlets, WRAD 101.7 FM and WVRU 89.9 FM.

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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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Players Mentioned

#11 Travis Fields, Jr.: G; 5' 10"; Senior

#1 Carlik Jones: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#30 Devine Eke: F; 6' 8"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#11 Travis Fields, Jr.
: 5' 10"; Senior
: G

#1 Carlik Jones
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#30 Devine Eke
: 6' 8"; Graduate Student
: F

Players Mentioned

#11 Travis Fields, Jr.

#1 Carlik Jones

#30 Devine Eke

Players Mentioned

#11 Travis Fields, Jr.

#1 Carlik Jones

#30 Devine Eke