Men's Basketball 2/9/2020 6:26:00 PM

RADFORD TRAVELS TO WINTHROP FOR BIG SOUTH SHOWDOWN

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Coming off one of its most complete performances in conference play this year, the Radford men's basketball team will carry momentum into Rock Hill, S.C., on Monday night at 7.p.m., to face league-leading Winthrop.

Radford (14-9, 9-2 Big South) tallied a scorching 60.5 field goal percentage and hit 13-of-26 shots from behind the arc to shoot 50 percent from 3-point range in an 81-70 victory over High Point on Saturday night.

Josiah Jeffers scored a career-high 12 points and knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers going 4-of-7 from long range against the Panthers. Devine Eke led the Highlanders at the charity stripe knocking down a season-high eight free throws.

Donald Hicks is averaging 14 points through the last two games. He's made eight of his last 13 3-point attempts. The Chesapeake, Va., native also picked up eight rebounds last time out, which is a season-high.

Averaging 21.5 points per game in Big South play, Carlik Jones picked up his 13^th 20-plus point game against High Point on Saturday night. He leads the team with 19.9 points per outing and has added 5.4 assists – both ranking second in the league.

Radford still ranks first in Big South games in scoring defense with 66.5 points allowed, in addition to leading the circuit in field goal defense at 39.4 percent permitted. The Highlanders are the only team holding league foes under 40 percent shooting.

Winthrop (18-7, 12-0 Big South) enters Monday night winning 14 straight games – one of the longest active winning streaks in the NCAA. The winning streak almost came to an end on Saturday afternoon but Winthrop squeaked by Longwood, 70-68, in Farmville. D.J. Burns Jr., and Charles Falden led the way with 17 points and combined for 11 rebounds.

Burns Jr., has seen action in 18 of 25 games and is averaging 14.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. The transfer is averaging 15.2 points in the 12 conference games and is shooting 62.6 percent, which leads the league.

The Eagles are second to the Highlanders in scoring defense in conference games (67.0 to 66.5), but lead the Big South in points per game with 80.6. In league games, Winthrop has a +16.1 scoring margin, almost four times as much as Radford's 4.2, which is second-best in the Big South.

The Highlanders hold a 41-37 lead over the Eagles. Winthrop has won 19 games inside Winthrop Coliseum, while Radford has only won 16. Last time these two teams met Radford held Winthrop to just 61 points but Burn's 19 points proved to be the difference.

Monday'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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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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