PITTSBURGH – The Radford men's basketball program fell in its season opener to ACC power Pittsburgh by a 96-56 margin inside the Petersen Events Center on Monday night.
The Highlanders were led by a trio of nine-point scorers in
Brandon Maclin,
Zion Walker and
TJ NeSmith, while both
Jarvis Moss and
Ibu Yamazaki chipped in seven apiece, respectively, against a strong Power Five foe.
Radford battled throughout the opening half as the Highlanders tied the game at 8-8 (at the 15:36 mark of the opening period), made it a one-point game with 13:13 left (11-10, Pittsburgh), trailed by just three with 10:07 to go (17-14) and by just four with 6:28 remaining (26-22) before the Panthers went on a 19-5 to end the opening 20 minutes.
Pittsburgh would go on to win the second half, 51-29, to close out the non-conference victory.
THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 56, Pittsburgh – 96
LOCATION: Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
RECORDS: RU: 0-1 (0-0 BSC), PITT: 1-0 (0-0 ACC)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Maclin, Walker and DeSmith led the way with nine points apiece in the contest.
- Maclin was an all-around force with a team-high eight rebounds and three steals to go with two assists (which also tied for the team lead).
- Walker finished with two boards and two helpers while NeSmith chipped in one rebound and a rejection.
- Moss and Yamazaki (three boards) added seven points apiece.
- Twelve different Highlanders scored at least two points in total as 13 student-athletes took to the floor overall.
- Transfers Maclin, Moss,
Tony Felder,
Isaiah Gaines,
Chace Davis and
Xavier Foster all scored their first points in a Highlander uniform.
- Walker and
Jonas Sirtautas also celebrated their first collegiate points of their career.
A BATTLE IN THE STEEL CITY
NEXT UP
The Highlanders return for the highly anticipated home opener in the newly renovated Carilion Clinic Court at the Demond Center on Friday, November 8. Radford will play host to William & Mary at 7 PM ET and
tickets for the non-conference clash can be purchased here.
Fans and supporters will want to make sure they are in their seats a few minutes early to take in the brand-new court and to see a state-of-the-art opening for the first time. For those unable to attend,
the game will also be played in front of a national audience on ESPN+.
GET IN THE GAME: FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
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@RadfordHoops on X,
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subscribe to the Radford Athletics Youtube channel.
