Second Half Woes Haunt Highlanders in Loss To Charleston Southern

Wednesday, January 31

Radford, Va.

7:00 PM

Radford University

13-10,3-5Big South

Charleston Southern

7-14,3-5Big South

Team	1	2	F
Charleston So.	27	36	63
Radford	37	23	60

Photo by: Rob Simmons

Second Half Woes Haunt Highlanders in Loss To Charleston Southern

1/31/2024 9:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

RADFORD, Va. – Charleston Southern caught fire while the Radford men's basketball team went ice cold in the second half, en route to a 63-60 defeat on Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.

UPDATED RECORDS
Radford: 13-10 (3-5 Big South)
Charleston Southern: 7-14 (3-5 Big South)

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Picking up where they left off in the second half against Presbyterian, the Highlanders brought their A-game on the defensive end to start Wednesday night's contest against the Buccaneers.

Charleston Southern knocked down a three-pointer on its very first possession, but Kenyon Giles answered right back with a floater on the other end. As the teams traded baskets through the first five minutes, the score reached 8-8 with 15:11 on the clock.

Truth Harris and Josiah Harris connected on a layup to regain the lead and begin a 10-0 run that included three-pointers from Bryan Antoine and DaQuan Smith as well. By the 13:16 mark, Radford was up, 18-10.

Leading by as many as 13, the Highlanders held the Bucs to just one more three-pointer for the rest of the period and took a 37-27 lead into halftime.

While the defensive intensity didn't necessarily change for Radford in the second half, the offensive efficiency did. After starting 2-for-9 in two-point range and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc, the Buccaneers stormed all the way back to tie the game.

A'lahn Sumler and Taje' Kelly spurred a 9-2 CSU run with a number of tough layups and earned trips to the free throw line, making it a 48-all contest with 9:39 left to play.

Traded shots kept the Highlanders in the lead or tied up until, at exactly 5:00 on the clock, a Quentin Bolton Jr. layup gave Charleston Southern its first lead, 54-52, since being up 6-2 less than three minutes into the game.

More missed shots led to opportunities for the Bucs, who took a 57-52 lead with 43 seconds to go. A pair of Bryan Antoine three-pointers made it 63-60 in the waning moments, however, setting up for one last chance.

A Chandler Turner heave was high-pointed by Justin Archer, who laid it off to Kenyon Giles for a wide open three. His attempt hit the side of the rim as time expired, leaving the Highlanders disappointed.

KEY STATS

Bryan Antoine stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 19 points, four assists, four steals, three blocks and two rebounds
Josiah Harris had his first double-digit scoring effort of the year, scoring 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting
The Highlanders recorded 18 second chance points on 12 offensive rebounds
Charleston Southern out-scored Radford 36-23 in the second half

OF NOTE

Radford's eight-game winning streak against Charleston Southern comes to an end

AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
Presbyterian 80, USC Upstate 73
Gardner-Webb 80, UNC Asheville 73
Longwood at High Point (Thursday at 7pm on ESPNU)

UP NEXT
The second half of Big South play arrives this Saturday when Radford makes a return trip to USC Upstate. The 4 p.m. tip in Spartanburg, S.C. 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.