MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A competitive game dissipated late in the first half as unforced errors piled up and the Radford men's basketball team fell, 67-51, to West Virginia in Head Coach
Darris Nichols' return to his alma mater.
Turnovers and misses opportunities at the free throw line were the primary culprits for the Highlanders (4-5, 0-0 Big South) despite a high level of effort all night long. The Mountaineers (7-1, 0-0 Big 12) put their patented high-intensity defense on display for all 40 minutes as well.
Even in defeat, it should be noted that the Highlanders' defense held their opponent below their season scoring average for the seventh consecutive contest.
Bryan Hart led the offense with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers.
Tai'Reon Joseph and
Camron McNeil each contributed eight points to supplement the scoring.
Josiah Jeffers dished out a team-high four assists and also pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
Rashun Williams set the tone on the very first possession, recovering quickly to block a driving Mountaineer's layup attempt. After a couple of near misses,
Lewis Djonkam came off the bench and got Radford on the board on the other end.
The Highlanders pulled within one by the second media timeout, but the Mountaineers went on a 13-2 tear that made a definitive change to the game's trajectory. Radford managed to put together a 6-0 run of its own, but WVU struck back with a 16-4 run that put the hosts ahead, 42-24, at halftime.
Radford never quit and outscored the Mountaineers, 27-to-25, in the final 20 minutes of the game. The Highlanders put up a much-improved 43.5% from the floor and 44.4% from beyond the arc compared to the first half, giving them something to build on.
Even textbook defense couldn't slow down West Virginia's fifth-year guard, Taz Sherman. The preseason all-Big 12 selection hit nine field goals, putting up 21 points in the first half and finishing the game with 27 to lead all scorers.
KEY STATS
- WVU earned a 31-to-12 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing the Highlanders to hand over the ball 20 times
- Radford did take a 10-to-1 edge in fast break points and matched West Virginia in points in the paint with 28
- Eight different players recorded multiple rebounds for the Highlanders
- True freshman Derrick Jones Jr. made his third career appearance and he has now recorded at least one rebound in two of those games
DARRIS' RETURN
PLAY OF THE GAME
NEXT UP
Radford gets a full week to regroup and refocus before traveling to Harrisonburg for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday Dec. 4 against JMU. The game will get streamed on FloHoops, but those without a subscription to the service can listen to
Rick Watson's radio call on WRAD 101.7 FM.
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.
