SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Radford men's basketball program made it two straight Big South wins as the Highlanders won a conference clash with the USC Upstate Spartans by an 80-67 margin inside the G.B. Hodge Center on Saturday afternoon.
The victory was a total team effort with five Radford student-athletes with double-digits in points.
The game started out fast as Radford held a slight 8-5 edge through the first three minutes of the opening half. The two sides would then start to trade blows, with a 9-0 USC Upstate run being matched right away by a 7-0 Highlanders edge to make it 15-14 at the 12:57 mark.
The contest was tied once again at 20-20 with 10:26 to go before Radford ended the period with a 21-15 advantage to take a 41-35 lead into the locker room.
The game slowed a bit to open the second half as the two squads combined for just one made field goal through nearly the first four minutes of the frame. The wait was worth it for the Highlanders, who went on a 13-0 run to take a 19-point lead (56-37) with 14:40 left to go. Radford held USC Upstate to just one made field goal through nearly the first 10 minutes of the half to kick start the strong run.
The Spartans continued to fight and got it as close to a seven-point contest (61-54) with 6:39 in the half, but the Highlanders were up for the battle and went on a 9-1 run to build their lead back to 15 at 70-55 just past the five-minute mark. The two sides would remain even down the stretch as Radford closed out the 80-67 victory.
THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 80, USC Upstate – 67
LOCATION: G.B. Hodge Center (Spartanburg, South Carolina)
RECORDS: RU 12-6 (2-1 Big South), USC Upstate 5-13 (1-2 Big South)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Truth Harris had his best game so far this year as he led the way with a season-best 18 points. He was extremely efficient in his second straight start and went 6-of-8 from the field (.750), 2-of-3 from three (.667) and 4-of-4 at the free throw line (1.000). Harris didn't just score, he was all over the floor in adding six rebounds, three steals and two assists. The 18 points also tied Harris's career high at Radford.
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David Early started his second consecutive contest as well and chipped in a season-best 14 points to go with three boards. He went 4-of-6 from the floor (.667) and a perfect 5-of-5 at the charity stripe (1.000).
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Brandon Maclin added 12 points along with three rebounds, three swipes and a helper. He stepped up in a big way down the stretch as seven of his 12 points came in the second half.
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Ibu Yamazaki had a strong 11-point, six-board effort. He too saved his best for last with back-to-back three's within 50 seconds of one another with just three minutes left to play in the game.
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Isaiah Gaines was the fifth Highlander in double-digit in points with 10 of his own to go with one rebound, one assist and one block in 15 minutes of action.
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Jarvis Moss added nine points and a game-best four dimes.
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Josiah Harris (four points, five boards, one rejection),
TJ NeSmith (two points, three rebounds and one assist),
Tony Felder (two assists) and
Chace Davis (one board) also contributed to the win.
- The Highlanders finished with 33 bench points in the victory. It was the 16th game so far this season that the Highlanders finished with 20-plus bench points and was the eighth contest with 30 bench points or more overall. Radford is averaging 33.3 bench points per game through its first three Big South contests.
- Radford also racked up 34 points in the paint and 15 points off turnovers.
A FEW MORE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS
NEXT UP
Radford returns home for a Wednesday night showdown with conference foe Gardner-Webb on January 15. Tip is set for 7 PM ET from the Dedmon Center and
tickets for the contest can be purchased here. The game will feature both a Pulaski County Public Schools Night celebration and is Radford Faculty and Staff game.
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