RADFORD, Va. – After a 90-75 win over Army on Sunday, the Radford men's basketball team heads right back to Kaplan Arena for a showdown with Commonwealth rival William & Mary.
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: William & Mary Tribe (2-3, 0-0 CAA)
Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 2:00 p.m.
Location: Kaplan Arena (Williamsburg, Va.)
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SERIES HISTORY
In an off-and-on again series dating back to 1977, the Highlanders are 4-6 all-time against the Tribe of William & Mary. W&M went on a five-game winning streak from 2004 to 2012, but Radford has rebounded with back-to-back wins in 2018 and, most recently, in 2021.
Radford came out on top in the previous meeting, 67-54, thanks to 13 points from both Rashun Williams and
Shaquan Jules, as well as 10 points from Xavier Lipscomb. Langdon Hatton scored a game-high 17 points off the bench for W&M, but the Tribe turned the ball over 21 times as the Highlanders led wire-to-wire.
SCOUTING THE TRIBE
Now in its fourth season under the direction of head coach Dane Fischer, William & Mary is hoping to see a big turnaround. The Tribe went 5-27 overall and 4-14 in the Colonial Athletic Association a year ago, finishing 9
th in the conference standings.
The CAA's preseason poll tabbed W&M to place 8
th this time out, but the team is already showing solid improvements. Led by preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention selection Ben Wight, the Tribe are 2-3 with wins over Mid-Atlantic Christian and Army.
As the team, they're averaging 78.4 points per game while shooting a blistering 47.2% from the field and 42.6% from deep. Vanderbilt transfer Gabe Dorsey (11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds), Wight (11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds) and Anders Nelson (10.8 points, 5.4 assists) are leading the charge.
GET RATIO'D
With
Josiah Jeffers,
Onyebuchi Ezeakudo, and
Kenyon Giles serving as primary ballhandlers on this year's squad, Radford has shown a much-improved ability to dish out assists while avoiding turnovers. Through five games, the Highlanders have a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio with 67 assists and just 50 turnovers.
Jeffers in particular has excelled in this area, setting his teammates up with 26 assists while turning the ball over just three times. His 5.2 assists per game currently lead all players in the Big South Conference.
SHOOTING THE LIGHTS OUT
Radford's 2021-22 Shooting Percentages (30 games)
Field Goals: 41.4%
Three-Point Field Goals: 30.7%
Free Throws: 66.9%
Radford's 2022-23 Shooting Percentages (through 5 games)
Field Goals: 49.5%
Three-Point Field Goals: 38.5%
Free Throws: 70.0%
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.
