MEN'S BASKETBALL SET FOR CONFERENCE OPENER AGAINST HIGH POINT

RADFORD, Va. – It's a new year and a new part of the season as Big South Conference play begins for the Radford men's basketball team against High Point inside the Dedmon Center on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Radford closed off 2019 and non-conference play with back-to-back wins over Richmond and Central Penn. The Highlanders closed the first half on a 17-0 run against Central Penn and extended it to 27 unanswered in the early minutes of the second half on the way to a 90-45 win.

Four players tallied double-digit points including a season-high 10 from Devonnte Holland. The Martinsville, Va., native has averaged 9.5 rebounds and 9.0 points in his last two outings. Carlik Jones narrowly missed a double-double against the Knights, recording 10 points and nine assists.

Jones is averaging 18.3 points and 5.7 assists per contest, both ranking second in the Big South. Jones has scored 10 or more points in 11 of the 12 games played this year and has led the Highlanders in scoring for eight of them.

Cle'von Greene led the team with 13 points against Central Penn and has tallied 16.0 points for the last two contests. He now has 7.2 points per game for the season and is shooting 44.1 percent from the field.

High Point and Radford have met a total of 48 times and Radford holds a 27-21 all-time series lead. Inside the Dedmon Center, Radford claims a 15-9 record but has only won one of the last four home meetings. The Highlanders won twice last year after narrowly escaping an overtime thriller on Feb. 9 (69-66), then recorded an 18-point victory on Feb. 27 inside the Millis Center.

Aside from the 18-point game the Panthers and Highlanders' previous six games were decided by a combined 13 total points. Dating back to the 2013-14 season, Radford has won five of the last six Big South Conference openers and has started conference play 1-0 the last four seasons.

High Point has had a less than stellar season through the first 13 games. Its first win didn't come until Nov. 26th against Greensboro College in a 90-73 contest. The Panthers only Division I win was against Elon in overtime on Dec. 5th after connecting on 10 3-pointers as a team – the second most in a game all season.

Recently, the Panthers fell to Texas in Austin, 89-58, on Monday night, despite John-Michael Wright and Cliff Thomas Jr., tallying 15 points each. Wright is the team's leading rebounder with 5.4 per contest and is second in scoring averaging 13.4 points. Sophomore guard Curtis Holland III leads the team with 14.5 points per game. He's also shooting 42.6 percent from the floor has made a team-high 22 3-pointers.

High Point ranks second in the Big South with 11.8 offensive rebounds and free throw percentage (72.7 percent).

The 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.

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.

Print Friendly Version