Polite Jr. guides Radford to 63-50 win over Liberty

Feb 23, 2018, 02:14 am

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Ed Polite Jr. finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and five steals to propel Radford to a 63-50 victory over Liberty on Thursday night.

Polite made all eight of his free throws and buried 7 of 10 shots from the floor for the Highlanders (18-12, 11-6 Big South Conference), who shot 51 percent overall (23 of 45). Carlik Jones added 12 points and six assists, while Donald Hicks scored 10. Radford won its third straight game, swept the season series and pulled within one-game of second-place Winthrop with one game remaining. The Highlanders close out the regular season at last-place Longwood, which has dropped 11 straight.

Scottie James paced the Flames (17-13, 8-9) with 15 points, while Ryan Kemrite scored 13 and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz added 10 points and a team-high four rebounds. Liberty was outrebounded 30-22 and shot just 39.5 percent from the floor (17 of 43).

Radford dominated in the paint, outscoring the Flames 30-14.