The Presbyterian College men's basketball team outscored the Highlanders 19-5, in the final five and a half minutes to cut a 15-point game to just one, but the rally fell just short as Radford used clutch free throw shooting to take the five-point, 78-73 win this afternoon at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., in the opening game of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Tournament.
The Blue Hose end their season 6-26, while Radford improves to 21-11 and advances to take on #2 South Seed UNC Asheville 2 p.m. Friday, Mar. 7.
Jordan Downing, Big South All-Conference Honorable Mention, scored 32 points, marking the fourth time this season he's posted over 30 and the second game in a row. His six three-pointers tied his career-high and was one short of a PC Division I record. Reggie Dillard posted 13 on the afternoon, while William Truss and Austin Anderson added 10 apiece. Truss led the team on the boards with six.
Radford was led by Ya Ya Anderson with 18 points and Javonte Green with 16. Green's nine rebounds paced the team as well.
PC shot 56.6% for the game after connecting on 18-of-30 from the field in the second half. Radford shot 48.1% for the game and 56.0% in the second half. The Highlanders hit seven three-pointers, with the Blue Hose hitting nine for the game. The Highlanders controlled the boards, 31-25, and held a 12-4 edge on the offensive end, resulting in a 14-4 margin in second-chance points. PC had four more turnovers, 13-9.
Radford jumped out to an early 18-7 lead with 12:37 to go in the half, capitalizing on three-pointers from Price and Green. A jumper by Truss with 12:13 on the clock kick-started the PC offense, as the Blue Hose used an 11-1 run, capped off by a Downing three-pointer, to cut the Highlander lead to just one, 19-18, with 8:42 to play.
Radford followed the PC run with one of its own, this one a 12-4 run to take its largest lead of the game at nine, 31-22, 4:05 to go.
Dillard hit a jumper at 3:28 and a three-pointer with just 10 seconds left to cut Radford's lead to just six at the break, 33-27.
The Blue Hose opened the second half with 10 unanswered points, including a Markus Terry dunk just a minute and a half into the stanza, to take a four-point, 37-33 lead, with 17:22 to. Radford answered with six straight to retake the 39-37 lead at the 16:28 mark.
Leading 41-39, Radford forced back to back PC turnovers en route to a 13-2 run, that saw the Highlanders take a 52-41 lead at the 13:11 mark.
Radford extended its lead to 13, 59-46, with 9:37, and led by 12 with 8:40 to go, before baskets by Downing and Dillard made it an eight-point game, 62-54, at the 7:30 mark.
The Highlanders took their largest lead of the game at 15, 69-54, off a 7-0 run, before the Blue Hose went on a 12-1 run, highlighted by six points from Anderson and a clutch three-pointer from Downing, to cut the lead to four, 70-66, with just over four to play.
Downing hit his sixth three-pointer of the game with 1:36 remaining to cut Radford's lead to just three, it's smallest margin since early in the first half.
Leading 74-71, with 1:29 on the clock, Radford's Green stole the ball from Downing and was fouled on the ensuing fast break attempt. He couldn't convert the free throws to give PC the ball with just under a minute to go.
Downing found a wide-open Truss under the basket and PC made it a one-point game, 74-73, with just 30 seconds to play.
Davis was fouled on the other end and converted both to make it a three-point game again, 76-73. Downing's three-pointer with seven seconds left rimmed out and Radford hit two more free throws to ice the 78-73 win.
