Radford goes back to basics, dominating the glass in first-round victory

 

(Photo:  Big South Conference)

Follow @sportsmatters

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Certain sayings are so common that they can almost be reflexively repeated. “Defense wins championships” would be one such saying.

Perhaps a more appropriate saying for the Radford Highlanders appeared after their first-round Big South Conference victory over USC Upstate Wednesday night.

“Details win games.”

Radford (16-16) overcame – to borrow a literary phase – a series of unfortunate events to claim a 67-60 result over eighth-seeded USC Upstate to advance to a Friday date against top-seeded High Point. A look at the stats at first tells  a harrowing story – 2-for-16 from distance, nine assists on 22 made baskets, 15-4 on fast break points.

The most harrowing stat of all? The Highlanders recorded their lowest shooting percentage of the year – 32.8 percent – in the victory. In only two games – at Charleston Southern and at High Point – did Radford hit fewer threes than the two it booked Wednesday.

So how, then, did Radford claim victory?

Just as the Highlanders recorded their lowest shooting percentage of the year, they tallied their highest rebounding total of the season. Radford pulled in 51 boards – nine more than in any game this season – and grabbed eight more offensive caroms than its previous high. Upstate (10-20) notched a single second-half three.

“I just thought we found a way to win. We weren’t making shots,” Radford coach Darris Nichols said after the game. “I thought we didn’t get emotional when we were missing shots. That’s something we struggled with in conference – how we played when shots weren’t falling. I thought we did some other things. Getting 21 offensive rebounds – that was the story of the day.”

Nichols is accurate in his assessment. Not only did the Highlanders offensively board 46.7 percent of their misses, they claimed 29 second-chance points off those 21 misses while holding Upstate to just five such points. The physicality of the game told the story, and it played right into the hands of Highlander forward Justin Archer.  The 6-foot-7 New Jersey native contributed a career-high 21 points and equaled a career-high 14 boards.

“We just made sure we stayed together,” Archer said. “We just wanted it more. We emphasized rebounding, being tough, and getting 50-50 balls. It’s tough to play in this environment, but we’re ready for it.”

“Rebounding was the main thing. Defense was something we emphasized the past few weeks. This is a whole new season now. Once the (tournament) starts, that’s what we’ve prepared for.”

Archer epitomized the effort turned in by the Highlanders. Josiah Harris joined him, adding another 10 rebounds of his own. The intensity was not lost on Nichols.

“I just think he’s one of those guys that – a lot of the time you talk about the guards (on the team) and he goes unnoticed,” Nichols said. “His toughness is contagious on this team, and for him to have 21 points and 14 rebounds – he was the difference-maker.”

“He just has a knack for offensive rebounding. (Kelton) Talford at Winthrop is the same way.”

Radford did more than just grab misses, however. It caused them – at an impressive rate. The Highlanders also worked their way to the line and hit 88 percent of their tries. They held the Spartans to just five threes. They remained patient. Nichols spoke of the importance of the experience the Highlanders boast.

“I think it’s big because a lot of them have been in these situations before,” Nichols said. “I think playing in the CBI last year helped us with a tournament format. DaQuan Smith played in a tournament at Murray State. (Bryan Antoine) played in a tournament at Villanova. Those experiences help you for situations that you’re going to see.”

“With Bryan, his being out and getting hurt in our last game, we really missed that. I think about his closing speed and his ability to get a lot of loose balls, and that’s what he did tonight.”

“He’s a big part of what we’ve got going on,” Archer said. “Having him out there defensively, scoring, rebounding – just all the extra stuff he does for us – that just helps us a lot.”

On the topic of Smith, he was not immune to the same struggles that plagued his team. The all-league performer hit just 4-of-18 tries on the night, including a single three-pointer. That three-pointer may have been the shot of the night, however. Smith caught a pass through Upstate’s Justin Bailey and calmly drained a contested try that put Radford ahead, 62-57, with 33 ticks remaining and essentially decided the game.

“I’m glad it went in,” Nichols said. “I thought, ‘Should I call time out here? Yeah, because they’re celebrating,’” Nichols added, with a laugh.

Defensively, Radford employed an active 3-2 zone that flummoxed the Spartans for much of the night. Upstate shot 43 percent (23-for-54) on the night but managed just 38.5 percent (10-for-26) in the second half. The Spartans found a few openings to attack the middle of the defense, but largely struggled.

“With our not being able to get the basketball, the zone affected us really – it slowed us down,” Upstate coach Dave Dickerson said after the game. “I thought at one time, without their zone, that we could outscore them. The zone made us stagnant a little bit, and we just weren’t making any shots.”

“We got stagnant. The zone really stopped us and made us stand. Our inability to get rebounds really helped them to stay in that zone. We just couldn’t get the ball enough to get in transition to score enough.”

Dickerson succinctly summed up the difference in the game.

“We just couldn’t get the basketball. Whenever you give up 21 offensive rebounds, it’s going to be hard to win. We knew going into this game that Radford could go get the ball in areas we can’t get to, and it showed tonight.”

Radford now advances to play High Point in the Big South tournament for the first time since 2002. The Panthers won that game, 72-70, in overtime, advancing to the championship game before falling to Winthrop. High Point swept the season series, claiming an 85-71 decision in Radford to start the league slate and a 99-74 victory in High Point in mid-February. Tip time between the Highlanders and Panthers is set for noon Friday in the Qubein Center, with streaming coverage set for ESPN+.