RADFORD, Va. – Despite a hard-fought effort in front of a great crowd, the Radford men's basketball program was tripped up at home for the first time this season in a 77-74 setback to Big South foe Longwood in a conference clash inside the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night.

It was a game in which the Lancers jumped out to an early led, but the Highlanders continued to battle throughout the entire evening before ultimately running out of time.

Longwood jumped out to a 21-11 advantage through the first nine minutes of the game, but Radford answered right back with a 15-1 run of its own to take a 22-16 edge with 6:03 left in the opening half.

The Lancers responded right back however with a 20-11 run to end the half for a 36-33 edge at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, Longwood scored seven straight points to extend its lead to 10, which would eventually turn into a 12-point advantage with 11:47 left on the clock.

Radford wasn't going down without a fight, as an 8-0 spurt made it a 53-49 contest with 10 minutes to go.

The Highlanders would continue to battle and tied the game at 70-70 with just 2:04 to play.

Radford was able to get it as close to a one-point game with both eight and three seconds left on the clock, but a final game-tying shot attempt didn't make it down the floor as Longwood escaped with the 77-74 win.
 
THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 74, Longwood – 77
LOCATION: Dedmon Center (Radford, Virginia)
RECORDS:  Radford 13-8 (3-3 Big South), Longwood: 15-6 (4-2 Big South)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- It was back to a balanced scoring attack for the Highlanders as four student-athletes finished with double-digits in points.
- Truth Harris led the way once again with a 14-point outing. He also added four rebounds and an assist. It was his fourth straight game in double-figures. The Mount Vernon, New York native is now averaging 13.8 points per contest over his last four games played.
- Ibu Yamazaki joined him with 14 points of his own to go with two boards, two helpers and a steal for his fourth double-digit scoring contest of the current campaign.
- Jarvis Moss was next with 13 points, one rebound and a team-best two swipes. It was his second straight game in double-digits in points and his 12th such outing on the year.
- Josiah Harris continued his strong run of play with a 10-point, 13-rebound effort. The outing was the senior forward's third double-double of the season. It was also the second-straight game that Harris pulled down 13 rebounds, a mark that is tied for the 12th-highest rebound total in a game by a Big South student-athlete so far this season.
- Chace Davis chipped in seven points, a board and an assist in 12 minutes of action.
- Brandon Maclin (three boards, team-best three helpers) and Isaiah Gaines (eight rebounds, two assists, one block) each added five points apiece, respectively.
- David Early (four points, one helper, one board) and Jonas Sirtautas (two points, one rebound) rounded out the scoring.
- Radford shot the ball very well in this one at a 49.0 percent (25-of-51) clip from the field. The Highlanders also converted 81.8 percent (18-of-22) of their chances at the charity stripe.
- The home team also finished with 41 bench points, 34 points in the paint, 14 points off turnovers and 12 second chance points.
- The conference battle featured four lead changes and five times the game was tied.
 
NEXT UP
The Highlanders hit the road for a conference showdown against Presbyterian on Saturday, January 25. Tip is set for 4:30 PM ET inside the Templeton Center. The contest 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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