Men's Basketball Falters In Second Half, Falls To High Point

Wednesday, February 22

High Point, NC

7:00 PM

Radford University

17-13,11-6Big South

High Point

14-15,6-11Big South

Team	1	2	F
Radford	43	21	64
High Point	28	41	69

Photo by: Rob Simmons

Men's Basketball Falters In Second Half, Falls To High Point

2/22/2023 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HIGH POINT, N.C. – A nearly flawless first half of basketball was replaced with lopsided second half as the Radford men's basketball team dropped a 69-64 decision to High Point inside the Qubein Center on Wednesday night.

The Highlanders (17-13, 11-6 Big South) came out firing to begin the game, building their lead more and more, going up by as much as 19 before taking a 15-point lead into halftime.

Despite the definitive momentum, High Point (14-15, 6-11 Big South) mounted a massive comeback, outscoring Radford 41-to-21 over the final 20 minutes.

The Panthers' furious race back into the game began with a Zach Austin dunk that got the building loud with 17:05 to go. The bucket started a 13-0 run that transformed a 50-33 advantage into a narrow one at 50-46.

Radford got a layup from Justin Archer and a deep three-pointer from DaQuan Smith to retake a nine-point lead, but HPU put together yet another 13-0 run to take their first lead since early in the first half.

A pair of free throws by Onyebuchi Ezeakudo put the Highlanders ahead one final time, 62-61, with 3:11 on the clock, but the Panthers scored the next three field goals which would prove to be all they needed.

Smith led the scoring effort with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a 5-for-9 performance from beyond the arc. Justin Archer joined him in double figures, recording 13 points and eight rebounds.

Josiah Jeffers had a career-high eight assists, passing the seven he dished out twice before.

Zach Austin was the Panthers' best player on the night, scoring 20 points and blocking five shots.

KEY STATS

Radford shot 57.6% in the first half and 33.3% in the second half
In contrast, HPU shot 34.4% in the first half and 62.5% in the second half
Archer and Smith both grabbed two steals

UP NEXT
The squad returns home for its final regular season game in the Dedmon Center this Saturday, Feb. 25 against Campbell. The game, which will feature a Senior Day ceremony during pregame, is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. 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.