FARMVILLE, Va. – DaQuan Smith and
Kenyon Giles combined for 41 points to lead the Radford men's basketball team to a 69-58 victory over Longwood inside the Joan Perry Brock Center on Thursday night.
UPDATED RECORDS
Radford: 11-6 (1-1 Big South)
Longwood: 13-5 (1-2 Big South)
PIVOTAL MOMENT
With the Lancers cutting the deficit to seven points at 60-53 with 3:25 left to play, Giles hit back-to-back shots to rebuild the Highlanders' lead and apply the dagger in Radford's clutch road win in Farmville.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
After struggling in back-to-back games against Clemson and High Point, the Highlanders looked like the team we've all come to expect as they took it right to the Lancers from the opening tip.
DaQuan Smith and Longwood's Michael Christmas traded baskets to open the scoring, but Radford followed by going on an 8-0 run to force a timeout by the hosts. Then, with the score reading 17-13 and 9:02 on the clock, the Highlanders went on an even bigger 11-0 run to make it a 28-13 cushion across four minutes of game time.
Even with the Lancers finding a bit of a groove down the stretch of the first half, Radford kept its composure in enemy territory and shot 55.6% (15-27) in the opening frame to take a 33-22 lead into halftime.
The Lancers immediately cut into their deficit, piecing together a 12-2 run that spanned into the start of the second half and made it a 33-27 ball game.
Chandler Turner playing like the veteran he is responded with a layup on the ensuing inbound, halting Longwood's momentum.
No matter what Longwood threw at them, the Highlanders fended off the comeback attempt and maintained a healthy lead until the very end. Radford led by as many as 16 in the contest and held a lead for 38:39 or a possible 40:00 minutes with the game being tied just once.
KEY STATS
- Smith finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting while Giles added 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting
- The Highlanders shot 50.9% (28-55) overall and 35.0% (7-20) from deep
- In a much better effort than the previous two outings, Radford only lost the rebounding battle by three, 29-26
- Radford scored 18 points off of 15 Longwood turnovers
OF NOTE
- Junior forward Josiah Harris made his Highlander debut after missing the first 16 games of the season due to injury
- Radford took zero free throws in the first half. They finally attempted their first shots from the charity stripe with 13:32 to go in the second half
- Justin Archer was ejected in the final minute of the game following a skirmish with Longwood's Szymon Zapala
PLAY OF THE GAME
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
High Point 84, UNC Asheville 79
Winthrop 81, Presbyterian 71
Charleston Southern 86, Gardner-Webb 74
UP NEXT
With the schedule changing due to ESPNU, the Highlanders face a quick turnaround when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. for a reunion with the Winthrop Eagles. The game is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 inside Winthrop Coliseum and all the action 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' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.
