WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Radford men's basketball team continues to search for its identity on offense as a cold shooting performance led to a 67-58 defeat to George Washington at the Charles E. Smith Center on Monday night.
 
Junior forward Rashun Williams scored a season-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers. The Arlington, Ga. native also led the team with eight rebounds. Junior guard Artese Stapleton stood out with an efficient game as well, going 3-for-4 from the field and connecting on a season-high six assists.
 
The Highlanders (4-7, 0-0 Big South) struggled to put the ball through the net in the first 20 minutes, a problem compounded by the fact that GW (4-8, 0-0 Atlantic 10) was able to launch 10 more shot attempts than Radford over that period.
 
Stapleton knocked down the first Highlander field goal of the game nearly four minutes into the contest, laying in the ball after a nice pass into the post by Camron McNeil. Williams followed it up with a jumper to put the visitors up, 5-2, but the Colonials proceeded to go on an 8-0 run to jump in front.
 
George Washington found even more separation thanks to a 9-1 run, making it a 21-14 game late in the half. Williams stepped up in that moment, drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Radford within one.
 
A small burst right before the period ended put GW ahead, 27-22, at halftime but the Colonials rode that momentum into the second half which they began with a 7-0 run. A tough layup through traffic from Chyree Walker finally ended the streak and got Radford back on track.
 
Another mini run by Radford was met with an 11-0 run over a near four-minute span that put George Washington in the driver's seat for the rest of the game.
 
A comeback wasn't in the cards with no consistent scoring presence. In the end, the Highlanders shot just 39.2% from the field, 34.8% from beyond the arc, and 52.6% at the charity stripe.
 
The Colonials were paced by 21 points from James Bishop and 16 points from Brayon Freeman. Maryland Terrapins transfer Ricky Lindo Jr. recorded a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double as well.
 
KEY STATS

• Tonight's game was the fifth time this season in which the Highlanders have held the opposing team under 30 points in the first half
• That includes Emory & Henry (29), Virginia Tech (25), William & Mary (24), Navy (27) and now George Washington (27)
• Turnovers continue to plague the Highlanders. They turned the ball over 14 times on Monday night, compared to just seven by the Colonials
• Offensive rebounds were also a big source of frustration against GW, as the hosts pulled down nine boards on their own end of the floor
• Radford did well to draw fouls, earning double-digit trips to the free throw line for the seventh straight game

 
CRUCIAL 20
With tonight's loss, the Highlanders are 0-6 when trailing at halftime. How the squad plays over the first 20 minutes of each game will be crucial to their success going forward.
 
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME  
NEXT UP
Now at the midway point on the six-game December road trip, Radford gets a quick breather before heading to Davidson to take on the Wildcats. The game is set for Saturday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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.