RADFORD FALLS TO GARDNER-WEBB ON SENIOR DAY

Saturday, February 29

Radford, Va.

4 p.m.

Radford University

20-10 (15-3)

Gardner-Webb

15-15 (11-7)

Team	1	2	F
Gardner-Webb	33	37	70
Radford	26	36	62

2/29/2020 9:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team fell to Gardner-Webb, 70-62, inside the Dedmon Center on Saturday as the Highlanders' seniors were honored in the regular season finale.

Radford (20-10, 15-3 Big South) tried to overcome a 15-point deficit but didn't have enough in the tank. The Highlanders kept chipping away and cut it to a one-possession game with 4:40 to play thanks to a Devonnte Holland layup.

Gardner-Webb's Nate Johnson quieted the crowd with a 3-pointer just 40 seconds later. He hit another one about two minutes later that made it a 62-53 game with 2:11 left. Travis Fields, Jr., connected on a 3-ball just under two minutes but GWU scored four in a row to put the Runnin' Bulldogs up by double-digits.

The Highlanders extended the game by fouling and cut the deficit to six-points with 18 seconds remaining. Christian Turner was the next Runnin' Bulldog fouled and converted a pair of free throws pushing the lead to 70-62. Radford took a late 3-pointer with 11 seconds left but it was off the mark as GWU ended Radford's 10-game win streak.

Fields Jr., led all players with 22 points, shooting 9-for-14 from the floor. His 22 points tied a season-high and his four 3-pointers were one shy of a season-high. Devonnte Holland was one rebound away from his 500^th at Radford and that one would've given him a double-double. He scored 12 points and shot 60 percent from the floor. Carlik Jones tallied 15 points and six assists.

Gardner-Webb (15-15, 11-7 Big South) took a 7-6 lead just three and a half minutes into the game and Johnson made it a four-point game on the next possession. The GWU lead increased to 11-points midway through the half.

The Highlanders went on a 9-0 run and made it a two-point game, 24-22, with 5:37 to play in the half. GWU closed the half on a 9-4 run and took a 33-26 lead, just one point different than the 33-27 lead they had in Boling Springs earlier this season.

Radford fell victim to an 11-4 run in the first three minutes of the second half which put them in a hole 44-30. The Highlanders cut it to seven points before the Runnin' Bulldogs jumped to its largest lead of the game, 54-39.

STAT OF THE GAME
Gardner-Webb shot 47.6 percent from beyond the arc. It's the highest any team has shot against Radford from the 3-point line in any game this season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Radford shot 44.8 percent as a team but only managed to shoot 27.3 percent from long range. Gardner-Webb led in many categories but the Highlanders had 20 points off turnovers and 34 points in the paint – both leading the Runnin' Bulldogs. Johnson and Jaheam Cornwall led GWU with 19 points, while Eric Jamison Jr., had 11. Cornwall went 7-for-7 from the floor and 5-for-5 from long range.

TWEET OF THE GAME

Senior Day is always a special time in Dedmon!#RiseAndDefend x #BigSouthMBB pic.twitter.com/6yuxOR9Hc4
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordMBB) February 29, 2020

QUOTABLE
"[Gardner-Webb] played extremely well," Mike Jones opened. "We didn't play our best game, we did not lack any heart. We played with tremendous heart. I was really proud of our effort, especially after getting down. We were able to dig back and give ourselves a chance to win, and I'm just proud of the guys for sticking with it until there were zeroes on the clock."

UP NEXT
Radford will be the No. 1 seed and host the Big South Conference Tournament. The Highlanders will take on the winner of No. 8 Charleston Southern and No. 9 Presbyterian on Thursday night at 6 p.m. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.

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.