RADFORD, Va. – A few mantras are starting to take shape for the Radford men's basketball program so far this season.
Everybody eats.
And being able to take punches but prevailing in the end.
The story once again held true in the Highlanders gritty 79-69 victory over USC Upstate in a Big South battle inside the Dedmon Center on Saturday afternoon.
Radford jumped out to a 10-point lead at the half and went on to win by the same margin, but that doesn't mean the squad didn't battle through adversity on the way.
The Highlanders led by double figures twice in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but the Spartans battled back to tie the game at 55-55. The Highlanders went ahead by a small 59-58 margin with 6:31 left on the clock and then didn't take their foot of the gas the rest of the way. Radford went on a 17-5 run over the next six minutes (and scored on their final 14 of 18 possessions overall) to close out the 79-69 victory.
The win was also as important one, as they all will be the rest of the way as the Highlanders hit the home stretch of the conference season. After tonight, Radford sits in a tie for third overall in the Big South, just two games back of second and 2.5 games behind first.
THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 79, USC Upstate – 69
LOCATION: Dedmon Center (Radford, Virginia)
RECORDS: RU 15-9 (5-4 Big South), USC Upstate 5-19 (1-8)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Brandon Maclin led the way with 17 points off a 6-of-10 night from the field (.600), which included a mark of 5-of-8 from beyond the arc (.625). He also chipped in four rebounds and one helper.
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David Early stepped up in a big way with clutch basket after clutch basket en route to a 13-point effort. He also led the way with a team and season-best five assists to go with two boards.
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Truth Harris had another strong outing with 13 points, four rebounds, one assist, a block and two steals. He has now finished with double digits in points in six of his last seven games played.
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Jarvis Moss finished with a team-high three swipes to go with nine points, four boards and four assists.
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Ibu Yamazaki (two three's) and
Josiah Harris (team-best six boards, one helper) each posted eight points apiece, respectively.
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Isaiah Gaines made his presence felt in the paint with seven points and three rebounds. He also tied for the game-high with two rejections.
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Zion Walker chipped in seven points along with three boards and two blocks.
- Radford finished with 32 bench points, 20 points in the paint and 15 fast break points.
- The Highlanders were also very careful with the basketball with just eight turnovers on the afternoon.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
POST GAME PRESSERS
NEXT UP
The Highlanders remain in Radford for a highly anticipated showdown against High Point on Wednesday, February 5 inside Dedmon. Tip is set for 7 PM ET and
fans and supporters can purchase their tickets to the important Big South battle here.
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