Three-point shooting and a late push by the Dukes proved to be the difference as the Radford University men’s basketball team dropped a 73-66 decision to James Madison at the JMU Convocation Center on Tuesday night.
With 4:16 remaining in regulation, the Highlanders (6-2, 0-0 Big South) still held a 60-56 lead and were looking strong despite a ferocious comeback effort from the Dukes. That’s when JMU (7-4, 0-0 CAA) senior guard Stuckey Mosley pulled off his most impressive moment of the game, drilling back-to-back improbable threes that would give the Dukes a lead that would last through the finish.
Radford nearly battled back, using the press to force three turnovers over the final two minutes and eventually making it a one-point game at 67-66 with 1:27 to go. It wasn’t meant to be though, as sophomore guard Matt Lewis hit two free throws and an insurance three from deep to put the game out of reach.
Mosley was on fire from the start and finished with 29 points on 10-for-18 shooting including a 7-for-11 clip from beyond the arc. Lewis added 19 points, going 3-for-7 from deep and 6-for-8 from the free throw line. As a team, James Madison went 12-for-22 (54.5%) on 3-pointers compared to just 6-for-16 (37.5%) by the Highlanders.
The Highlanders played an up-and-down first half, going up by as many as five and trailing by as many as nine before heading into halftime with a 35-35 tie on the scoreboard.
Redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones carried the scoring load early, knocking down two of his first three shots to put Radford ahead 7-2 just under four minutes into the contest. JMU erased the deficit, forcing the game into a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams go 5-for-5 from the floor from 12:07 to 10:13.
It was then that the Highlanders completely lost their scoring touch, going nearly eight minutes without a single point. The Dukes took advantage, going on an 11-0 run to jump out in front 32-23 and get the home crowd roaring.
Coach Jones called a timeout to regroup his squad and whatever he said worked. The Highlanders ended the half on a 12-3 run, hitting on five of their final six shots to pull even through 20 minutes of action.
Radford came out of the locker room for the second half with a renewed spirit, beginning the period on a 9-0 run thanks to back-to-back layups by graduate center Mawdo Sallah and nothing-but-net jumpers from junior guards Devin Hutchinson and Travis Fields Jr.
Several questionable calls allowed the Dukes to halt Radford’s momentum shortly thereafter and they continued their hot shooting to make it a close game as the period went on.
Jones led the Highlanders with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. added 13 points, five rebounds and two steals while Fields Jr. tallied 12 points, six assists and a career-high six steals.
Polite Jr. came off the bench for just the fourth time in the last three years, but he still managed to impact the game. Now at 1,213 career points, the Lanham, Md. native gained sole possession of 16th on the Radford all-time career scoring charts. He passed Dan Wilbourne (1977-80) and Andrey Savtchenko (1998-02), who both scored exactly 1,200 points in their storied careers.
The Highlanders move on to the third game of their current five-game road trip when they head to Athens, Ohio to take on the Ohio Bobcats later tonight. The contest is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start and will be streamed live on ESPN+
–RU Athletics
