RADFORD, Va. – In what has been an up-and-down season from the start, the Radford men's basketball team made a statement win at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night with a 71-67 victory over Campbell.
The win puts Radford in the win column in back-to-back games for the first time since November and gives the team a ton of momentum heading into the final three games of the season. The Highlanders improve to 9-16 overall and 5-8 in Big South play while Campbell drops to 14-10 overall and 7-6 against conference foes.
Junior guard
Artese Stapleton played the game of his life, stuffing the stat sheet with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Junior forward
Rashun Williams also provided a big performance, scoring 16 points thanks to four makes from beyond the arc.
As a team, the Highlanders shot 48.2% from the field and 43.5% from 3-point range. The Camels were hot all night as well, shooting 49.0% in the contest.
Trailing 57-50 with just over seven minutes to play in regulation, the Highlanders dug deep and roared back to tie the game with 4:53 on the clock. An old fashioned three-point play on a circus layup by
Dravon Mangum put Radford in front moments later.
Riding the energy of a great home crowd, the Highlanders hit big shot after big shot down the stretch to maintain their lead while both Stapleton and
Josiah Jeffers knocked down clutch free throws to close out the win.
The first half was a story of alternating runs. Following a close start to the game, the Highlanders found their shooting rhythm and raced out to a 17-9 lead thanks to an 11-0 run. The Camels hit back with a 7-0 run of their own, pulling within one.
Radford then took back control, going on an 8-0 run to extend its lead to 27-18 before Campbell mounted an 11-0 streak that gave the visitors the lead as halftime neared. The Highlanders hit a pair of clutch jump shots late and took a 34-32 lead into the break.
Cedric Henderson powered the Campbell offense with 22 points while Ricky Clemons and Jesus Carrelero added 17 and 12 points respectively.
KEY STATS
- Radford improves to 15-7 against the Fighting Camels when playing in the Dedmon Center
- Darris Nichols deployed his 12th different starting lineup combination of the season
- Artese Stapleton recorded multiple steals for the sixth time this season. He now has at least one steal in seven straight games
- Chyree Walker got back into the rotation and grabbed a team-high six rebounds
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
EQUITY AND INCLUSION
NEXT UP
The Highlanders welcome High Point to the Dedmon Center on Saturday, Feb. 19 for a 2 p.m. contest that will mark the final home game of the 2021-22 season. Tickets are available on radfordtickets.com and the game 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.
