RADFORD, Va. – A trio of players in double figures and yet another stellar defensive performance powered the Radford men's basketball team to a 67-54 wire-to-wire victory over William & Mary at Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.
 
The Highlanders (2-4, 0-0 Big South) got off to a quick start, knocking down three of their first four 3-point attempts in the opening minutes of the game. Tai'Reon Joseph hit the very first shot of the contest, drilling a corner three that gave the hosts a lead they never relinquished.
 
Defense kept the Tribe (0-6, 0-0 CAA) in the game in the first half, as they found ways to slow the Radford offense enough to stay close. W&M began chipping away at the Radford lead right before half, going on a 7-1 run before the break to pull within seven.
 
A shot clock-beating floater from Artese Stapleton got the second half started in style and the Highlanders rode the high from there. Radford fended off each and every comeback effort from the Tribe and even built on its lead, increasing it to a game-high 16 points with just over three minutes to go.
 
A pair of key forced turnovers led to easy Radford points down the stretch and the Highlanders saw out the win in front of a great home crowd.
 
Rashun Williams led the team with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting including 2-for-4 from three. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out two assists, and tallied a block. Big man Shaquan Jules matched his production with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and had two blocks of his own.
 
After missing the last two games with the flu, Xavier Lipscomb was perfect from the field in this one, hitting all four of his shot attempts to finish with a season-high 10 points.
 
KEY STATS

• Radford has now won back-to-back meetings with in-state rival William & Mary, winning by an average of 12 points
• Josiah Jeffers now has multiple steals in five of six games this season. Chyree Walker, Bryan Hart, and Artese Stapleton were also credited with multiple steals in the game
• Walker corralled a game-high six rebounds, exactly matching his season average coming into the night
• The Tribe turned the ball over 21 times and Radford scored 20 points off of those turnovers

 
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The Highlanders have shown a penchant for lockdown defense this season and the numbers show it. They have now held opponents below their points per game average coming into the game in four straight contests. In this most recent example, Radford kept William & Mary 12 points below their scoring average of 66.0.
 
NEXT UP
After taking a quick breather to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, the Highlanders get right back at it with a 4:30 p.m. match-up with Eastern Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 28. There will be a halftime ceremony where Radford legend Javonte Green will be honored and have his jersey retired. Tickets can still be purchased by clicking here.
 
FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordHoops on Twitter, 'radfordhoops' Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.