RADFORD, Va. – DaQuan Smith dropped a career-high 26 points, but rebounding and second chance opportunities let the Radford men's basketball team down in an 85-71 defeat to High Point on Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.
UPDATED RECORDS
Radford: 10-6 (0-1 Big South)
High Point: 12-4 (1-0 Big South)
PIVOTAL MOMENT
With the game tied at 46-all and 15 minutes still left to be played, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run to take command of the game. Their lead only grew from there as the Highlanders would fail to get within four points for the rest of the night.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
With the score reading 38-37 in favor of the Panthers at halftime, it's hard to fathom how differently the two sides got the job done.
The Highlanders come out fast as
Chandler Turner delivered the first bucket of the game on their first possession. Then after a flurry of makes on both ends, the hosts countered a 10-6 High Point lead with a 12-3 run that put them ahead, 18-13, with 13:02 on the clock.
Radford shot 59.3% on 27 attempts from the field and 66.7% on six attempts from beyond the arc, building a lead as large as eight – 33-25 – with 4:45 until the game's midway point.
High Point, on the other hand, dominated the glass and scored 19 second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds. The Panthers also drew a whopping 11 fouls in the first 20 minutes alone, going 10-for-12 at the free throw line to negate a 35.3% performance form the floor and 25.0% clip on 16 three-point shots.
Those factors combined all at the wrong time for Radford, propelling HPU on a 13-0 run that gave it a 38-33 lead with just under two minutes left in the period.
The score remained close through the first few minutes of the second half as Radford began to draw more fouls keep the Panthers off balance. With 15:02 to play, the score was tied at 46-all and it looked like anyone's game.
Momentum took a massive swing in High Point's direction soon after, as the Panthers went on a 7-0 run and eventually built their lead to as many as 13 points late in the game.
Offense was hard to come by and the high octane HPU counterattack denied Radford any chance at a comeback.
KEY STATS
- DaQuan Smith scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting
- Chandler Turner and Kenyon Giles added 14 points each, with Turner pulling down a team-high seven rebounds
- Radford was out-rebounded, 45-20, including a 20-4 deficit in offensive rebounds
- That directly led to a 27-5 advantage in second chance points for HPU
- Kezza Giffa (24 points) and Duke Miles (23 points) paced the Panthers
OF NOTE
- The game marked DaQuan Smith's 50th career start in a Radford uniform
- D'Auntray Pierce has swatted 2+ blocks in six straight games
- Radford has now lost its Big South opener in back-to-back seasons
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
UNC Asheville 95, USC Upstate 67
Winthrop 68, Longwood 60 (OT)
Presbyterian 68, Charleston Southern 61
UP NEXT
The Highlanders gear up for their first ESPNU Wildcard game of the season. Radford takes on Longwood on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 9pm in a nationally televised contest at the brand new Joan Perry Brock Center in Farmville.
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.
