RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball program went national (with the help from their newest little friend) as the Highlanders knocked off Gardner-Webb by a 79-75 margin in a thrilling Big South clash inside the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.
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 HIGHLIGHTS
POST GAME PRESSER
OUR NEWEST SIXTH MAN GOES VIRAL
NEXT UP
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.
GET IN THE GAME: FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
Get in the game and get New River City made by staying up to date with the latest from Radford Men's Basketball through
@RadfordHoops on X, @radfordhoops on Instagram,
Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook and
subscribe to the Radford Athletics YouTube channel.
