Radford shot over 50% for the game, including 57% in the second half, and used a late run to break open a close game and take a 75-64 win over the Presbyterian College men's basketball team in Big South action Saturday afternoon at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C. Cory Hightower led the team with 13 points and six rebounds.
 
Scoring the game
The first half saw five ties and no lead greater than five as both teams matched basket for basket.  Radford broke a 16-16 tie midway through the first half with a Travis Fields three-pointer and a Donald Hicks jumper putting the visitors ahead, by five, 21-16, 7:50 to go.  The Blue Hose answered with a 9-2 run, helped by five from Michael Isler, to take a 25-23 lead, 3:44 on the clock.  A back and forth battle, Radford came back with a 9-2 run to retake a five-point lead, 27-32, just over a minute to go.  Cory Hightower's layup at the 52 second mark trimmed the margin to three, but Chyree Walker hit a free throw with 36 seconds to go, and posted a dunk as time expired to put Radford on top at intermission, 35-29.
 
A 9-2 run to open the second half, which included four from Zeb Graham and a three-pointer from Jenkins, gave the home team a one-point lead, 38-37, 16:48 left.  It was short-lived as Hicks connected on his second three-pointer of the night as party of a 7-1 spurt, put the Highlanders ahead by six, 45-39, 13:45 on the clock.  Five unanswered a couple of minutes later gave Radford its largest lead of the game at nine, 53-44, 10:19 on the clock. Another Hicks three-pointer, this won at the 9:04 mark, gave the Highlanders their first double-digit lead, 56-46.  Jenkins responded with a free throw and three-pointers to cut the margin to but back to back layups by Jones, made it a 10-point game again.  Trailing by 14, Ben Drake hit a layup and free throw with just over two to play to cut the lead to just 11, but Hicks answered with his fifth three-pointer of the night, making it a 14-point game again, 73-59, 1:41 remaining.  The Blue Hose kept fighting, cutting it to 11 again off an Isler dunk, but it was too little, too late as Radford snapped PC's five-game winning streak with the 75-64 win.
 
Players of the Game
Cory Hightower and Michael Isler led the Blue Hose in the first half with eight points apiece. Chyree Walker paced Radford in the opening stanza with six.  For the game Hightower came out on top with 13 points and six rebounds.  Ben Drake was second with 11 points.  Carlik Jones finished the game with 20 points and seven rebounds.
 
Stats of the Game
Radford used 51.9% shooting to hold its six-point lead at the half, with PC close behind at 41.7%. The Highlanders shot 55.2% in the second half for 53.6% for the game.  PC was 40.8% from the field for the game, connecting on 10-of-25 shots in the second.  Radford edged PC in rebounds, 32-31, and had three fewer turnovers, 9-12.  The Highlanders hit seven three-pointers and were eight-of-16 from the charity stripe.  The Blue Hose hit 19 free throws and five three-pointers.
 
For the Record
PC drops to 7-11 overall and 4-1 in the Big South, while Radford improves to 10-7, 5-0.
 
Notables
The 4-1 Big South start is the best in PC's DI history.
Cory Hightower recorded a career-high three steals
 
Up Next
The Blue Hose host Campbell Monday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m., with the game being broadcast live on ESPN+ and WPCC.