SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Leading 76-75 in the final moments, the Radford men's basketball team took a tough no-call and conceded a game-winning layup on the other end with just 9.5 seconds on the clock, ultimately falling 79-76 to Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday night.
The Highlanders (0-2, 0-0 Big South) exceeded all expectations on their return trip to South Bend and looked poised to come away with a second upset over the Fighting Irish (1-0, 0-0 ACC).
Freshman
Kenyon Giles dropped 15 points in the season opener at Marquette on Monday and did himself one better with a 20-point effort this time out. The electric guard went 7-for-15 from the field, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc, as well as two steals and two assists.
DaQuan Smith played one heck of a game as well, shooting 7-for-16 en route to 18 points.
Josiah Jeffers gave the Highlanders a third major scoring threat, filling up the box score with 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
The Highlanders came to play and showed it in the first couple minutes of the night, racing out to a 9-4 lead. Notre Dame caught up and then caught fire, knocking down eight consecutive field goals to go up, 25-29.
Radford regrouped and moved the ball with spectacular purpose, going on a 10-2 run to take a 37-35 lead. The Irish snuck by right before halftime, taking a 40-39 lead into the break.
Fort Wayne, Ind. native
Onyebuchi Ezeakudo muscled his way to the rim to give the visitors the lead on the first possession of the second half and that was just the beginning.
Radford held the lead for nearly the entire second half, going up by as many as nine points with just over 10 minutes left to play. The Fighting Irish finally managed to go back in front with about three minutes remaining thanks to a series of trip to the foul line.
With a chance to hit the game-winner, Jeffers split the defense and nearly rolled the ball off the glass and in, but it bounced just a bit too hard, and the rebound fell to Notre Dame. Down three,
Bryan Antoine's three-quarters court heave just missed its mark and the buzzer sounded.
KEY STATS
- Radford protected the ball exceptionally well, tallying just six turnovers while scoring 18 points off 10 Notre Dame turnovers
- Madiaw Niang stepped up with Shaquan Jules in foul trouble most of the night; the FAU transfer scored nine points thanks to 3-for-4 from the floor and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe
- Notre Dame was awarded 25 free throws compared to just 12 for Radford
- Radford's bench outscored Notre Dame's bench, 25-6
NEARLY NOTRE DÉJÀ VU
Radford defeated Notre Dame, 63-60, in Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 14, 2018. They nearly repeated history in South Bench on Thursday.
UP NEXT
The team heads back to the New River Valley and welcomes Bridgewater to Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center for the 2022-23 home opener. The game is slated for 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14 and tickets are still available for purchase at radfordtickets.com.
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.
