
Men’s Basketball goes national in third straight win
1/16/2025 1:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The victory kept Radford atop the conference standings with High Point and UNC Asheville at 3-1 overall through the first four games of their respective Big South slate.
The Highlanders went into the locker room down 36-31 at the half, but as has been the trend this season, the group battled back from a little adversity and went punch-for-punch with the Runnin' Bulldogs in the final 20 minutes.
Gardner-Webb was able to push its lead to 40-32 through just the first minute-and-a-half of the second frame. Radford wasn't going down without a fight however as the Highlanders went on a 11-0 run to take a 53-48 advantage with less than 13 minutes on the clock.
Radford was able to extend its lead to 58-52 with 10:24 left to play but the Runnin' Bulldogs fought right back to tie things again at 58-58 with 7:16 left.
The two sides would tie things again at 6:04 (61-61), 5:14 (63-63) and 4:26 (65-65) before a Gardner-Webb free throw was followed by back-to-back three's from David Early and Jarvis Moss to make it a 71-66 contest with 2:14 remaining.
The Runnin' Bulldogs answered with a layup of their own but Ibu Yamazaki responded right back with a three-point dagger with just 1:29 on the clock as the Highlanders held tough for the 79-75 win.
THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 79, Gardner-Webb – 75
LOCATION: Dedmon Center (Radford, Virginia)
RECORDS; RU – 13-6 (3-1 Big South), Gardner-Webb – 7-11 (2-3 Big South)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- It was another well-rounded attack for Radford, who finished with just three student-athletes in double figures in scoring in the complete team win. Ten different Highlanders scored points in the victory as Radford dropped in 35 bench points.
- Chace Davis led the way in scoring with a team-best 14 points to go along with one board. He was extremely efficient in the win, going 4-of-5 from the field (.800), 3-of-4 from three (.750) and 3-of-4 at the free throw line (.750). The Fort Washington, Maryland native set a season-best in points, field goals made and free throws made. To make the performance even more impressive, Davis did all of this in just eight minutes of work.
- Early also made his impact felt in a big way in the win with 11 points and two assists. He shot at a 4-of-6 clip from the floor (.667), which included a mark of 3-of-4 from beyond the arc (.750). Early's three made three-pointers tied his season-best.
- Truth Harris was the guiding hand running for the offense for Radford as he finished with 10 points, a game-best seven assists and three rebounds. He also tied for the game-high with two swipes.
- Josiah Harris was next with nine points and a game-best eight boards.
- Brandon Maclin chipped in eight points, five rebounds, a rejection and a steal.
- Moss (four assists, two boards, one swipe) and Isaiah Gaines (five rebounds, one block) both finished with seven points apiece, respectively.
- Yamazaki hit one of the biggest three-pointers late in the game to seal the win. He added five points, three boards, two assists and a steal to go with his clutch shot.
- Zion Walker made his return to the lineup and had five points, one rebound and one helper in 11 minutes of action.
- Twelve different Highlanders checked into the contest overall.
- It was an exciting back-and-forth affair between the two conference rivals as the game featured eight times it was tied and had 10 lead changes.
ON THE NEWS
A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTSLots of greatness down I-81 south tonight! ?? https://t.co/4k7qfdTCHR
— Eric Johnson (@E10Sports) January 16, 2025
Ain't nobody stopping @j_harris5_ ??#ForTheShield x #RiseAndDefend pic.twitter.com/1bRBEClDd9
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordHoops) January 16, 2025
A lil' @RockyTruth appreciation post ??#ForTheShield x #RiseAndDefend pic.twitter.com/ApVKskN3Tw
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordHoops) January 16, 2025
POST GAME PRESSERGo ahead and make it ??????????. ????????????????. ????????. ??#ForTheShield x #RiseAndDefend pic.twitter.com/sGPu9WiOqI
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordHoops) January 16, 2025
OUR NEWEST SIXTH MAN GOES VIRAL
Just the cutest interruption you have ever seen ??
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordHoops) January 16, 2025
(cc - @SickosCommittee, @BigSouthSports, @MarchMadnessMBB, @ESPNAssignDesk)#ForTheShield x #RiseAndDefend pic.twitter.com/4Z2trAMeSb
The content we didn't know we needed courtesy of @BigSouthSports ??
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 16, 2025
(via @espn)
pic.twitter.com/QAPlnVWa9X
A YOUNG FAN RAN ONTO THE COURT DURING A THREE-POINT GAME ???? pic.twitter.com/2Lpfk2d0ov
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 16, 2025
A young fan ran onto the court during crunch time of a close college hoops game https://t.co/ET58tZuUd5
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 16, 2025
NEXT UPUnexpected moment of cute ??
— Radford Men's Basketball (@RadfordHoops) January 16, 2025
?? - @SportsCenter (@espn)#ForTheShield x #RiseAndDefend pic.twitter.com/5ZVIBCkVQT
Radford hits the road for another Big South showdown, this time at Charleston Southern on Saturday, January 18. Tip is set for 2 PM ET inside Colonial Life Arena. The conference clash will be played in front of a national audience on ESPN+ and can be heard anywhere in the country on WRAD.
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