BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – DaQuan Smith,
Justin Archer and the hot-shooting Highlanders dominated Gardner-Webb in a 90-74 victory at Paul Porter Arena on the national stage Thursday night.
UPDATED RECORDS
Radford: 14-14 (4-9 Big South)
Gardner-Webb: 13-15 (8-5 Big South)
PLAY-BY-PLAY
A back-and-forth battle evolved into a Radford blowout midway through the first half as
DaQuan Smith and the Highlanders caught fire in enemy territory.
Trailing 18-15 at the 12:11 mark, the Highlanders would explode for a 21-4 run to take a 36-22 lead just six minutes later.
Truth Harris got the streak started as
Kenyon Giles,
Justin Archer, Smith, and Antoine also got on the scoresheet in that span.
The next two baskets by Gardner-Webb were answered by three-pointers from Smith as he reached 20 points scored before halftime. Radford's lead grew to as many as 21 points with 2:16 left to go, and the visitors took a 53-35 lead into the break.
Even playing in front of their home crowd on national television, the Runnin' Bulldogs had no answer for Radford's offense in this one. The Highlanders carried their hot shooting into the second half, each of the first eight points in the frame.
As GWU made each comeback push, Radford found another way to score and negate their efforts. The lead ballooned to as many as 26 multiple times, including as late as the 7:50 mark.
Despite that lead finally being chipped away at, the deficit was too much for the Runnin' Bulldogs to overcome and the Highlanders sealed a crucial victory.
KEY STATS
- DaQuan Smith led all scorers with 24 points, 20 of which came in the first half
- Justin Archer posted 12 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season
- Kenyon Giles (17 points), Josiah Harris (12 points) and Bryan Antoine (10 points) also reached double figures
- The Highlanders shot 56.1% (37-66) from the field while holding GWU to just 38.5% (25-65)
- Radford dominated the paint, earning a 58-to-30 advantage for points in the paint on the night
OF NOTE
- Radford started the combination of Giles, Smith, Antoine, J. Harris, and Archer for the fourth consecutive game
- The Highlanders' 53 points in the first half marked a new season high in points scored in a single period
- The win snaps a five-game losing streak; it was Radford's first win since defeating Presbyterian on Jan. 27
- This is also Radford's first road game since Jan. 11 at Longwood, also on ESPNU
PLAY OF THE GAME
AROUND THE BIG SOUTH
Presbyterian 78, Winthrop 55
Charleston Southern 63, USC Upstate 60
Longwood 80, UNC Asheville 75
UP NEXT
In another quick turnaround thanks to a Thursday night ESPNU game, the Highlanders will race home to take on the Longwood Lancers this Saturday, Jan. 24 in the Dedmon Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with all the action streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets are still available at RadfordTickets.com.
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.
