Radford Rad 4-3,0-0 Big South

Elon Elon 1-6,0-0 CAA

Radford Rad

4-3,0-0 Big South

Final

Nov. 27, 2022

Elon Elon

1-6,0-0 CAA

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Radford Rad	30	39	69
Elon Elon	29	24	53

Summary
Box Score

Rob Simmons

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/27/2022 4:17:00 PM

Highlanders Bounce Back With 69-53 Win At Elon

ELON, N.C. – Shaking off another slow start, the Radford men's basketball team dominated the second half on both ends of the floor and earned a 69-53 victory over Elon at the Schar Center on Sunday.

The win pushes Radford's record to 4-3 overall and a perfect 3-0 in its new blue uniforms. Meanwhile, Elon drops to 1-6 with six consecutive losses.

Playing right next to his hometown of Burlington, N.C., Josiah Jeffers played a spectacular game and led all players with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. The fifth-year senior guard dished out six assists, giving him six games in seven tries this season with five or more assists as well.

Behind him was a balanced scoring effort that featured eight different Highlanders getting on the scoresheet and six of them scoring six or more points. DaQuan Smith joined Jeffers in double figures, shooting 3-for-6 from downtown to tally 11 points.

The team-wide shooting woes appeared to carry over from the William & Mary game as the Highlanders began the game 7-for-22 from the floor, including a subpar 1-for-9 mark on three-pointers.

With just 18 points by the final media timeout of the first half, Radford found some much-needed momentum, knocking down a pair of threes as part of a 5-for-8 stretch that culminated in a buzzer-beater from Smith, giving the Highlanders a 30-29 lead at halftime.

That momentum was no mirage as Radford came out firing in the second half, ultimately outscoring the Phoenix 39-24 over the final 20 minutes. A large chunk of that came in a 19-4 run that spanned more than seven minutes, transforming a 36-all contest into a 55-40 route.

Radford shot 48.3% (14-29) from the field and 50.0% (4-8) from behind the arc in the second half, but just as impressive was the defensive effort. Over the same period, Elon made just nine of its 31 attempts, good for just a 29.0% line on field goals.

The combination of timely offense and stifling defense powered the Highlanders through the end of the game, clinching the squad's first true road win of the season.

KEY STATS

Radford earned a 43-34 advantage on rebounds, getting eight from Shaquan Jules and seven from Bryan Antoine
Justin Archer, Ibu Yamazaki, and Madiaw Niang combined for 20 points and 14 rebounds off the bench
The Highlanders' bench out-scored Elon's bench, 22-2
Both teams had 12 offensive rebounds, but Radford had 17 second-chance to Elon's four

UP NEXT
The Highlanders have a pair of huge home games coming up to begin the month of December. N.C. Central comes to town at 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 1 and then George Washington visits the Dedmon Center for a 2:00 p.m. game on Dec. 4. Tickets are still available on radfordtickets.com for both contests.

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.

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