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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
JAylonJohnson
83
Radford Rad 5-8,0-0 Big South
96
Winner William & Mary W&M 9-3,0-0 CAA
Radford Rad
5-8,0-0 Big South
83
Final
96
William & Mary W&M
9-3,0-0 CAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Radford Rad 38 45 83
William & Mary W&M 41 55 96

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Offense Stays Hot, but Highlanders’ Second Half Effort Falls Short at Tribe

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Radford men's basketball program jumped ahead early at William & Mary Thursday night, but a second half deficit proved too much to overcome as late efforts weren't enough in the 96-83 final.
 
KEY STATS
  • Radford lived from beyond the arc, taking 42 shots and hitting 13 outscoring William & Mary by 27 points from deep. The Tribe dominated in the paint, though, 52-24.
  • After a slow start, Dennis Parker Jr. was still able to finish with a big double-double at 26 points and 11 rebounds.
  • Jaylon Johnson's 19 points were a season-high with Lukas Walls (14) and Del Jones (12) also finishing in double figures.
  • Radford drew three technicals overall in the game, but only hit two free throws off those five awarded trips to the line.
 
PLAY BY PLAY
On the road against a tough Tribe squad, the Highlanders got started behind a Walls' three pointer which marked his third straight game getting Radford started from deep. Some free throws put the Tribe back ahead, but Radford kept hitting from three as Jones and Johnson would hit from deep to make it 18-10 Radford.
 
With 13 to play in the half, a layup off the fastbreak from Parker Jr. and three from Jones gave Radford its biggest lead so far at 23-15. Just two points over a four-minute stretch allowed William & Mary right back in as the game knotted back up at 25-25. Johnson got Radford back ahead with a pair of layups and three, but a third foul sent him to the bench for a crucial stretch to end the half.
 
The two squads traded baskets as the advertised fast paced offenses of both sides were on full display. Jones and Parker Jr. sunk quick baskets to go up 38-34. Right before the half came to a close, the Tribe finally connected from three on their eighth try. That triple sealed a 7-0 run for the Tribe and gave them their three-point 41-38 lead at the break.
 
Two made shots pulled Radford back within one right out of the half, but an extended 9-0 run that lasted three minutes put the Highlanders down 52-42 with 15 minutes to play. Frederik Erichsen would break that run, but the Tribe continued to renew their effort from three to pull back ahead 58-44.
 
In the final 10 minutes of the game, Radford mounted a big comeback effort as Walls ripped off 12 straight points behind a trio of three pointers. Parker Jr. came alive late as well, as Radford rallied all the way back to make it just a 72-68 deficit.
 
The threes continued to rain from Parker Jr. as his point total escalated all the way into the 20s, but the Tribe had answers all along the way. The hosts hit their free throws late and held on to take the 96-83 final.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders have a quick turnaround as they return home to the Dedmon Center on Sunday, December 21st, for another in-state foe in VMI. Action is set to tip at 2:30 p.m. streaming on ESPN+.

STAY SOCIAL WITH RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
For all the latest on Radford Men's Basketball, be sure to follow the team on X (@RadfordHoops), Instagram (@radfordhoops), and "like" the team's official Facebook Page (Radford Men's Basketball).
 
#RiseAndDefend
 
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