WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Upping the intensity by leaps and bounds after trailing by 10 at halftime, the Radford men's basketball team earned a 90-75 comeback victory over Army West Point at Kaplan Arena on Sunday afternoon.
The Highlanders (3-2, 0-0 Big South) needed a complete team effort to win this one, but it was the three-headed monster of
Josiah Jeffers,
DaQuan Smith, and
Bryan Antoine that took their performance to the next level.
Jeffers scored Radford's final six points of the game to secure the win and bring his totals on the day to a season-high 17 points and a career high-matching seven assists. Smith was the player who kept the Highlanders close even in their toughest moments, finishing with 17 points and five assists, and four rebounds.
Antoine continues to show glimpses of what makes him such a special talent. The Villanova transfer stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points on a career-high three 3-pointers, six rebounds, and five steals.
Freshman standout
Kenyon Giles clinched his fifth-straight double-digit scoring effort to begin his career, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc en route to 12 points. Five other Highlanders contributed three or more points on the offensive end as well.
Radford's quick start in the form of a 7-2 run quickly dissipated as the Black Knights (2-3, 0-0 Patriot League) began to take advantage of their size and strength in the post. Army went on a 10-0 run to go up 12-7 and even brushed off a 5-0 Highlanders response to continue their scoring barrage.
Over the first 20 minutes of play, Army shot 63% (17-27) from the floor, 56% (5-9) from three and 100% (8-8) at the free throw line in an unrelenting attack that Radford seemed to have few answers for.
Both teams made their final three field goal attempts of the first half and the Black Knights took a 47-37 lead into the break.
The second half was a completely different story.
Army came out of the locker room and immediately knocked down a three to extend its lead to a game-high 13 points, but that would be the end of their dominance. The Highlanders proceeded to go on a 22-6 run, taking a 59-56 lead with 11:40 left to play.
Radford's defense refused to give the Black Knights any breathing room and their shots just kept clanging off the rim. On the other end, the Highlanders dangerous shooters did their thing, pushing Radford to outscore Army, 53-28, in the second half.
Credit where credit is due to a very good Army squad that was led by Chris Mann (23 points, four rebounds), Jalen Rucker (18 points, six rebounds) and Coleton Benson (15 points, four rebounds) in the game.
KEY STATS
- Radford shot 55.4% from the floor in the game, including an amazing 66.7% in the second half
- The Highlanders also had an unbelievable game from three, going 11-for-20 (55.0%)
- Army turned the ball over 17 times while the Highlanders coughed up the rock just eight times
- That led to a 31-to-7 advantage in points off turnovers for Radford
CLUTCH AT THE LINE
Radford has been solid shooting free throws all season long, but Sunday's performance was a notable one. Going up against a team that didn't miss a free throw until there was 3:15 left on the clock (Army finished 14-17), the Highlanders went 17-22 from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
There's one more game left to be played in Williamsburg as Radford and William & Mary are set to go head-to-head on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 2pm. Fans with a subscription can watch the game on FloHoops or 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.
