Holcomb-Faye's Buzzer-Beater Lifts Radford Past Panthers

RADFORD, Va. -- Junior Whit Holcomb-Faye (Winston-Salem, N.C.) hit a desperation three-pointer from just beyond mid-court to lift Radford men's basketball to an 85-83 overtime Big South win over High Point Saturday night at the Dedmon Center. (Box Score)

High Point's senior Jerry Echenique (Laceiba, Honduras) hit a short jumper with five seconds remaining in overtime to give the Panthers an 83-82 advantage. Holcomb-Faye took the inbounds pass and lofted the desperation shot as time expired from 55 feet out. The shot bounced straight up off the rim before falling through to give the Highlanders the victory. The win snaps RU's five-game losing streak to High Point that dates back to the 2002 Big South Tournament. It was RU coach Byron Samuels' first victory over the Panthers. The Panthers' last three losses have been in games decided by five points or less.

Radford (8-9, 3-3 Big South) forced overtime when freshman Josh Fox (Staunton, Va.) hit a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining in regulation to knot the game at 73. HPU senior Danny Gathings (Winston-Salem, N.C.) tried a three-pointer at the buzzer, but it was strong off the backboard, sending the game to the extra period.

High Point (9-10, 4-2 Big South) led by as many as nine in the second half before RU staged a comeback, using a 9-2 run, capped by a jumper by Fox with 1:51 left in regulation. HPU got ahead by as many as four, but Radford remained within striking distance, opening the door for Fox's trey to tie it.

The teams traded baskets for most of the first half, until a free throw by Echenique and a layup by Gathings sparked a 10-0 run for the Panthers. The Highlanders responded with a 12-4 run capped by a jumper by senior Olumuyiwa Popoola (Gardena, Calif.) at the 4:15 mark in the first half. The teams again swapped buckets, this time in transition to close out the half. Sophomore Landon Quick (High Point, N.C.) sunk a layup for HPU as the clock wound down to give the Panthers a 39-38 halftime advantage.

Both teams placed four players in double figures, with Popoola leading all scorers with 21 points. He also grabbed six rebounds. Holcomb-Faye had 19 points and three steals and sophomore Chris Oliver (Kernersville, N.C.) had 17 points and paced RU on the glass with seven rebounds. Fox scored a career-high 14 points. Junior Andre Bynum (Gastonia, N.C.) set a season high and tied a career-high in assists with nine.

Echenique paced High Point with 18 points. Junior Mark Wilson (Chicago, Ill.) scored 16 points and had seven boards for the Panthers. Gathings tallied a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and senior Zione White (Spartanburg, S.C.) scored 11 and junior Titus Byrd (Alexandria, La.) dished out four assists.

The Highlanders will return to the road Tuesday to face UNC Asheville in a Big South contest. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm. High Point will also stay in Conference, hosting VMI Wednesday at 7:00 pm.