By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Wednesday night marked the rubber match between USC Upstate and Radford Highlanders, as the two opened the 2024 Big South tournament at the Qubein Center. An all-around performance by one Highlander and a dominant effort in a key facet of the game propelled Radford to a 67-60 victory over the Spartans.
A Justin Archer layup staked Radford to an early two-score lead, but back-to-back Jalen Breazeale triples keyed an 8-0 burst that pushed Upstate ahead by four points. Just over two minutes later, a Breazeale basket sparked a 10-0 run that staked the Spartans to a 20-10 advantage less than six minutes into the contest.
“As (Breazeale) got healthy, he began to play better,” said Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson. “The offense began to click a little better. He has come a long way from October 16, 2021, when he tore his Achilles in a closed scrimmage against North Florida. It’s good to see him play well. He would say the same thing – playing well in a loss is not a good thing.”
Five straight points from Archer sparked a 9-0 run and pulled the Highlanders within a 24-23 deficit with 6:07 left in the opening half. Justin Bailey drove the lane and dished to Ahmir Langlais for a two-handed jam, extending the score back out to a five-point Upstate lead.
At the intermission, the Spartans led Radford, 32-29, but the Highlanders held a 27-16 advantage on the glass, featuring a 12-2 mark in offensive rebounds.
“I felt like we wanted it more,” Archer said about the battle on the boards. “Rebounding is the main thing, and defense is something we kept emphasizing these last few weeks. We made sure to get the 50-50 balls and the rest took care of itself.”
Upstate fell behind by one point, but a Langlais layup helped reclaim a three-point lead. Archer then hit consecutive shots from close range and put the Highlanders back ahead by one as the two sides had four lead changes over the next four-plus minutes.
Two Bryan Antoine free throws and an Archer bucket broke a deadlock and made for a four-point Highlander lead with just under 10 minutes left. Layups by Jordyn Surratt and Bailey, along with two Breazeale free throws, tied the game at 51 just over four minutes later.
Kenyon Giles drained a jumper during a 6-0 burst that created a six-point Radford lead at the 3:13 mark, but Langlais and Breazeale buckets quickly pulled Upstate even at 57-all with 1:53 left. Shortly thereafter, a personal 6-0 run by DaQuan Smith – featuring a triple from the right wing – put the Highlanders ahead for good with 33 seconds left and secured the win.
“I just thought we found a way to win,” Radford head coach Darris Nichols remarked. “Something we’ve struggled with in the conference is how we play when shots aren’t falling. I thought we did some other things (like) getting 21 offensive rebounds. I thought that was the story of the day.”
“I think (Archer) is one of those guys that a lot of the time, you talk about the guards, and he goes unnoticed. His toughness is contagious on the team and for him to have 21 points and 14 rebounds, he was a difference maker.”
Archer posted a career and game-high 21 points, 14 rebounds (tying a career best), and four assists, leading the team in all three categories. This marked his seventh double-double of the season for Radford and second in as many meetings against the Spartans. Antoine finished with 14 points and five boards, while Smith tallied 13 points and five rebounds.
The Highlanders outscored Upstate, 29-5, in second chance points, and went 21-for-24 from the charity stripe. Radford also knocked down 22 out of 67 tries from the floor and won the rebounding battle by a 51-33 tally (21-7 on the offensive glass).
“It’s been the same old tune for us the whole year,” Dickerson lamented. “I thought our defense was good and we got in ‘the mess,’ but 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 get the ball in areas that we can’t get to, and it showed tonight.”
“I love my team, coaching staff, and this program. Our whole season has been marred with the inability to get the basketball, and that’s on me as a head coach. We lost some players from last year’s team that could get the ball and we’ve got to get those (type of) guys back in the program.”
Upstate was led by Breazeale with 19 points and six assists, both of which were team-highs. This marks the third straight game that he has notched a double-digit point total. Langlais also finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Upstate outscored the Highlanders, 36-30, in the paint, 15-4 in fast break points, and 15-8 in bench points. As a team, the Spartans were 23-for-54 from the floor, but mustered only nine makes on 19 tries from the free throw line.
USC Upstate finishes the season at 10-20 overall, while Radford (16-16) will face top seed and tournament host High Point on Friday at noon in the quarterfinals.
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