RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team took care of business in a decisive 100-53 victory over Notre Dame of Maryland on Carilion Clinic Court in the Dedmon Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Highlanders extend their winning streak to three games and improve to 5-3 on the season while the Gators fall to 0-4.
Junior guard
Truth Harris got the start and rewarded his coaches with a season-high 18 points thanks to an 8-for-9 day on the charity stripe. Graduate forward Chandler couldn't miss, going 6-for-6 for 15 points.
Sophomore guard
Kenyon Giles extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight games, dropping 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including three shots from beyond the arc.
The Gators shot just 31.7% from the field on 63 attempts, but K'Won Johnson impressed with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. The freshman guard from Baltimore also led all players on the floor with four steals.
With Notre Dame (MD) being a brand-new Division III program, it was clear from the opening tip that Head Coach
Darris Nichols and the Radford coaching staff would be able to play their entire bench in this one.
Most of the normal starters began the game on the court and the lead quickly grew from 8-0 to 20-4 by the 13:34 mark of the first half.
Trenton Walters,
Kyle Burns,
Hunter Castleberry,
David Vidor and others all got their chance to play before halftime.
It was a less than ideal start to the second half as the Gators pieced together a 12-4 run before Coach Nichols called a timeout. The talk helped as the Highlanders responded with a 13-2 run of their own to get back on track.
Radford cruised through the rest of the game, getting 39 points from the bench to clinch another one for the win column.
NOTES & STATS
- Truth Harris made his first career start, marking just the second different starting lineup Radford has utilized this season
- Radford has now scored 50+ points in the first half twice this season, adding to a 51-point performance in the first 20 minutes against Eastern Mennonite
- With 16 free throws made against the Gators, Radford has now set a season high in free throws made in back-to-back games
- Walters (12 points) and Kyle Burns (11 points) both set new career highs in scoring
PLAY OF THE GAME
UP NEXT
Radford takes its three-game winning streak to the 757 in a Wednesday night bout with the Old Dominion Monarchs. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip and 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.
