RADFORD, Va. – A miracle three-point heave from
Dravon Mangum went in as time expired in to force overtime, but the Radford men's basketball team couldn't capitalize as they lost, 83-75, to Longwood on Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.
With 1.0 seconds on the clock and holding a 67-66 lead, the Lancers hit both free throws to go up by three and give the Highlanders one last opportunity.
Camron McNeil fired a pass just beyond half court to a leaping Mangum, who caught the ball, turned on a dime, and sank the buzzer-beater to add five more minutes to the game.
Longwood proceeded to run away with it, building a 10-point lead before missing a single shot in overtime. Radford used every bit of fight left in them, but it wasn't enough in the end.
The Highlanders (5-10, 1-2 Big South) drop their second consecutive close game while Longwood (9-5, 1-0) gets their conference schedule off to a strong start with a hard-fought road victory.
Bryan Hart and
Artese Stapleton each scored a career-high with 18 points and 16 points respectively. Mangum added 11 points and a season-high nine rebounds while
Rashun Williams contributed another 11 points of his own.
As a team, the Highlanders connected on 11 three-pointers, the fourth time this season they've reached double-digit field goals from deep.
The Highlanders got off on the wrong foot to begin the game, going 1-for-10 from the floor through the first seven minutes of action. Hart kept the home team afloat though, scoring its first 12 points of the game. Radford eventually found its groove, ending the first half on a 9-for-15 shooting streak and staying within four at the break.
Hart begun the second half the same way he did the first, drilling another three to give Radford some much-needed momentum. Having last led, 18-17 with 9:41 to go in the first half, the Highlanders battled back and tied the game at 51-all with 9:36 left in the game.
Longwood then went on a quick, 8-0 run within a 1-minute, 24-second period which forced Radford to dig deep and mount a comeback yet again. The Highlanders managed to make it a close game late and the rest is history.
KEY STATS
- There were six lead changes and four ties in a game where Radford had to keep its composure while trailing for the majority of the night
- Josiah Jeffers recorded five assists for the second straight game
- The win is Longwood's first against Radford since 2016, a drought that spanned 10 games
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
Campbell 67, Charleston Southern 52
North Carolina A&T 67, Hampton 58
Gardner-Webb 64, Presbyterian 61
USC Upstate 66, High Point 65
NEXT UP
Radford hits the road for a matinee game at Campbell on Saturday, Jan. 15. The contest is slated for a 2 p.m. start 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.
