Birmingham-Southern Holds Off Highlander Rally

RADFORD, Va. -- Radford men's basketball was unable to complete a comeback attempt on visiting Birmingham-Southern, losing 64-62 in a regionally televised Big South Conference game Monday night at the Dedmon Center. (Box Score)

The Highlanders (9-11, 4-5 Big South) trailed by as much as 18 in the second half, but made a run at the end, pulling within two. RU had two possessions with less than 12 seconds, but was unable to convert either try. Birmingham-Southern had a 64-62 advantage when RU sophomore Chris Oliver (Kernersville, N.C.) took a pass down low, took one dribble and was called for a charge with 12 seconds left. BSC senior Jakob Sigurdarson (Reykjavik, Iceland) missed both free throws after a Radford foul. RU junior Whit Holcomb-Faye (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was fouled with 2 seconds left, but missed the first charity toss, forcing him to miss the second. Sophomore Bucky McMillan (Birmingham, Ala.) secured the rebound and the win for BSC.

Holcomb-Faye led Radford with 15 points. Senior Olumuyiwa Popoola (Gardena, Calif.), who grabbed the rebound after Sigurdarson’s second free throw miss, scored 13 points and led RU on the boards, grabbing six. Oliver tallied 12 points. Sophomore Reggie McIntyre (Piedmont, S.C.) had eight points, as did Branden Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), a career high for the freshman.

The Panthers (11-9, 4-5 Big South) used a 15-1 run midway through the first half to open a close game and take a 23-10 lead on a James Collins (Baton Rouge, La.) 3-pointer. BSC pushed that lead to 17 at the end of the half on a jumper by freshman Arnold Gore (White Castle, La.), giving Birmingham-Southern a 41-24 halftime lead.

BSC opened the second half by pushing the lead to 18 on a jumper by McMillan. Radford slowly chipped away at the lead, closing to with 12 on a pair of free throws by McIntyre. After a foul shot by Sigurdarson, RU went on an 8-0 run to close to within five on a lay-up by Holcomb-Faye. The teams traded scores, with BSC pushing the lead back to eight before the Highs’ final flurry was capped by a lay-up by Oliver to pull RU within two.

Collins led all scorers with 18 points. Sigurdarson scored 14 points while Gore scored 11. McMillan led the Panthers on the glass with five rebounds.

Radford will hit the road for it’s annual Conference beach trip, facing Charleston Southern Saturday at 7:00 pm and Coastal Carolina next Monday at 7:00 pm. Birmingham-Southern will return home to face Liberty at 3:00 pm on Saturday.