DAVIDSON, N.C. – A balanced scoring effort kept the game competitive, but the Radford men's basketball team ultimately fell, 74-54, to Davidson at John M. Belk Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Junior center Shaquan Jules was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-6 at the free throw line to finish with 12 points. The Orlando, Fla. native also pulled down a season-high seven rebounds.
 
Fifth-year guard Bryan Hart matched Jules with 12 points while junior forward Rashun Williams had seven rebounds as well. Radford shot a combined 80.0% at the charity stripe, marking a new season-best.
 
A slow start once again plagued the Highlanders (4-8, 0-0 Big South), who quickly fell behind 14-2, forcing head coach Darris Nichols to call an early timeout. The Wildcats (8-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) pushed their lead to 30-15 when Radford finally found a groove on the offensive end and began to battle back.
 
A 12-2 run that included a 6-for-7 shooting effort got the Highlanders back within a single possession at 32-30. The hosts responded with a small run of their own to make it a 39-30 game heading into halftime.
 
Although Jules laid in the very first shot of the second half, the Wildcats took all the momentum away with a 12-2 run that resulted in a 59-39 lead by the 10:14 mark.
 
In a cliché tale for this year's squad, turnovers were the main culprit in the second half. Davidson capitalized on a series of unforced errors and Radford didn't have enough of a hot hand on 3-point attempts to mount a comeback.
 
Sharpshooting guard Foster Loyer led the Wildcats with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including four makes from long range. He also topped all players in the contest with four assists.
 
As a team, Davidson made just 36.4% (8-22) of its 3-point attempts, a percentage well below their season average of 42.2% coming into the game.
 
KEY STATS

• Coach Nichols and his staff continue to tinker with the starting lineup to find the right mix before conference play. The Highlanders used their eighth different combination in 12 games on Saturday
• Sophomores Keishon Porter and Joshua Walker each came off the bench to record a season-high in minutes played this season
• Radford was without senior guard Josiah Jeffers for the second consecutive game after he suffered an injury at JMU
• Bench production was key for Radford as they topped the Wildcats, 30-7, in points from bench players
• Davidson star Hyunjung Lee was held to 14 points in the game, another stat well below his average

 
TEAM REBOUNDING
Radford entered Saturday's game with nine different players averaging multiple rebounds per game. That trend continued against Davidson as seven Highlanders grabbed multiple rebounds and 11 recorded at least one.
 
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME  
NEXT UP
With the Highlanders' game at Akron being postponed due to COVID-related issues within the Zips' program, their next game will now be on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at UMBC. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
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.