West Virginia Knocks Off Radford

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. --West Virginia went on an offensive run with five players finishing in double figures to defeat Radford men’s basketball 78-44 in non-Conference action Saturday night at the WVU Coliseum.

Whit Holcomb-Faye led RU with 16 points and three assists and Chris Oliver finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Olumuyiwa Popoola, who came into the game averaging 12.4 points per game to rank third on the team, was held scoreless for the second striaght game.

Radford opened the game with an 8-0 run, taking control early. The Highlanders held a cushion through the first 10 minutes of the first half. West Virginia went on a 28-5 run to close out the first half however, to establish a 43-27 lead at the intermission.

West Virginia outscored the Highlanders 35-17 in the second half to preserve the win.

It marked the first time this season that RU did not place at least three players in double-figure scoring. The Highlanders shot 30.2 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc for the game. West Virginia's defense put the pressure on Radford, which had had a hot hand in the first half, holding the Highs to just 21.4 percent from the field and 11.1 percent from three-point land in the second half.

The Mountaineers shot 48.4 percent from the field and 34.5 from beyond the arc for the game.

Radford will face in-state rival Hampton, where RU coach Byron Samuels spent two years as the head coach, Wednesday at 7:00 pm. That game will be played at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va., 30 minutes north of Radford. West Virginia will face St. Bonaventure Tuesday at 7:00 pm in Charleston, W.Va.