From a double-digit first half deficit to a double-digit win, the Radford men’s basketball team stormed back for a 79-68 victory over Northern Colorado to win the 2023 Cancun Challenge Mayan Division Championship at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on Wednesday.
Redshirt senior guard DaQuan Smith was named tournament MVP after dropping 22 points, six rebounds and four assists in the championship game. The veteran sharpshooter carried the Highlanders (4-3, 0-0 Big South) through a slow start and kept it going until the clock hit zero.
It was a nerve-racking start to the contest as the Highlanders missed every one of their first seven shot attempts. Down 9-0 right off the jump, Radford’s first point came at the 15:40 mark on a Justin Archer free throw and the first field goal to hit its mark didn’t come until the 14:13 mark, courtesy of TJ NeSmith.
Northern Colorado (3-3, 0-0 Big Sky) built its lead to 20-7, but it would prove to be their largest advantage of the night.
A smooth jumper from Bryan Antoine was the first sign of life for the Highlanders and a pair of free throws from D’Auntray Pierce tied the game at 32-all with 2:51 to go in the period. All of a sudden, the 13-point deficit was a 40-34 halftime lead as Radford closed the half on a 15-2 run.
The Highlanders held that lead for the remainder of the game, shooting 46.8% (29-62) from the field, 35.0% (7-20) from three, and 82.4% (14-17) at the charity stripe when it was all said and done. It took a complete team effort to pull off the comeback win, as the defense held the Bears to a 39.7% (23-58) clip overall on the other end.
Joining Smith on the All-Tournament team was sophomore guard Kenyon Giles, who turned it on late to extend his double-digit scoring streak to seven games with 11 points. NeSmith contributed a crucial 14 points and seven rebounds while Antoine gave Radford a fourth major scorer with 11 points of his own.
The Bears were paced by Saint Thomas (19 points, five rebounds) and Riley Abercrombie (14 points).
Notes and stats:
Wednesday marked Radford’s seventh straight game with the same starting lineup (Giles, Smith, Antoine, Turner, Archer). The team’s longest streak last year was only six games straight with Jeffers, Smith, Antoine, Archer and Niang from Jan. 26 to Feb. 11.
Radford entered the week averaging just 15.6 bench points this season. Truth Harris and NeSmith were central to 19 bench points on Tuesday and then 25 bench points on Wednesday.
The Highlanders earned a 32-to-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Coach Nichols’ squad committed a season-low nine turnovers against Northern Colorado.
Cancun challenge results (Mayan division):
Game One: Radford 82, Morgan State 72
Game Two: Northern Colorado 78, Chicago State 77 (OT)
Third-Place Game: Chicago State 84, Morgan State 83
Championship Game: Radford 79, Northern Colorado 68
All-tournament team from RU: Daquan Smith and Kenyon Giles.
Radford University Athletics
