Highlanders Cruise Past Lees-McRae

RADFORD, Va. --Radford men’s basketball placed five players in double figures and shot a 59.7 percent from the field to cruise past Lees-McRae, 97-77 Friday night in men’s basketball action at the Dedmon Center. (Box Score)

Sophomore Reggie McIntyre (Piedmont, S.C.) scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Radford attack. It was the second game in which he set a new career high. Sophomore Chris Oliver (Kernersville, N.C.) and junior Whit Holcomb-Faye (Winston-Salem, N.C.) each had 15 points. Oliver pulled down eight rebounds to pace Radford. Senior Olumuyiwa Popoola (Gardena, Calif.) had 12 points and six rebounds and junior Ivan Wilson (Baltimore, Md.) had 11 points. Holcomb-Faye and junior Andre Bynum (Gastonia, N.C.) each had six assists to lead RU.

The Bobcats gave the Highlanders a scare early in the first half, jumping out to a 12-4 lead on a layup by junior Tyreek Ramsuer (Hickory, N.C.). Radford caught up and took a one-point lead on a layup by McIntyre, but a quick 10-0 run by Lees-McRae gave them a nine-point advantage on another Ramsuer layup. RU responded with its own 10-0 run to retake the lead. The highlanders extended that lead to six by halftime.

Radford opened the second half with a 12-0 run, initiated by a three-pointer from Bynum and capped on a dunk and free throw by Oliver, giving RU an 18-point lead. The Highlanders pushed the lead to 21, but could not dispose of the pesky Bobcats. Lees-McRae clawed its way back into the came, cutting the margin to eight on a three-pointer by sophomore Aaron Dugger (Elizabethtown, Tenn.) with 4:17 remaining. That would be as close as the game would get however, as the Highs closed out the game with a 19-7 run.

Ramsuer led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Dugger finished with 20 points. Senior Antwon Brown (Gary, Ind.) scored 15 and sophomore Henri Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.) finished with 11 points. Senior Shawn Zellers (Largo, Ind.) led the Bobcats on the glass, grabbing 18 boards.

Radford shot a blistering 66.7 percent from the field in the first half. The Highlanders hit 40 percent of their shot from beyond the arc for the game. Lees-McRae hit 39.4 percent of their field goal tries and 27.6 from three-point land.

The Highlanders will take 13 days off before heading west to face Colorado on Dec. 23. That game will tip-off at 9:00 pm Eastern. Lees-McRae will play at Mars Hill at 7:00 pm on Jan. 4.