Tartan Tartan: Pigskin

THE TARTAN Nov.
16, 2011
SPORTS
MENS: Highlanders start the season 2-1, edge out Delaware Blue Hens by four points
Free throws win games, said sophomore guard Jareal Smith. If you can knock down free throws, you can win games, if you can play defense, you can win games. The nal minutes of the game saw Radford trailing by a slight margin, but Radford managed to come around with their shooting to take the lead, and foul shooting was what handed them a 58-54 lead that Delaware didnt have time to cut into. Its in the books, its a win, it goes on the W column which is great, said Head Coach Mike Jones. But in the grand scheme of things it wont mean a lot, come February [when a signicant bulk of Big South play begins]. You know its all about getting better every day, thats been our goal since day one. It feels great to win, but we expected to win. We go into each game, we expect to win. We were able to get our job done today and weve got to turn around and do it again in 24 hours. Radfords second game of the weekend against Shenandoah on Nov.12 saw the Highlanders a little more on their game in the second half. After ghting to a 38-36 rst half lead, Radford nished the game with a pounding 41-14 second half blowout to win their second game 79-50. I thought our defensive effort in the second half was where it should have been for most of the game, said Jones after the second win. Our guys after the half really focused in on what we needed to do. What was keeping Shenandoah in the game in the rst half was their outside shooting. The Highlanders were effective in keeping them out of the paint, but at the break, Shenandoah was 8-12 in three point shooting, their shooters were able to get open too easily for Radfords liking. I knew coming into the game that they didnt have a whole lot of inside game, Jones said. They love shooting threes, but what happened was we were getting beat off the dribble. As the rst half ended, Shenandoah fought Radford to a 36-36 tie. Sophomore forward Tolga Cerrahs dunk was what gave Radford a 38-36 lead at the break. I thought our team in the second half really got re-focused, said senior forward Johnathan Edwards. We had a game plan. You know, we wanted to make things difcult, make them uncomfortable, theyre a team that the offense works on rhythm and being precise and stuff like that, so we wanted to knock them off their screens a little bit and just make it difcult for them offensively. Radford did a good job of that in the second half, as they outscored Shenandoah 41-14, and the second game went into the books as a win, to give Radford a starting record of 2-0 for the season. After starting the season with two strong wins, the Highs played their rst road constest on Nov. 14, when they traveled to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania to play against the Penn State University Nittany Lions. Coming into the game, RU Mens Basketball owned an 0-5 all time record against Big Ten conference opponents. After starting the game with a 9-3 lead over the Nittany Lions, RU faltered and found themselves in a 11-11 tie game midway through the rst half. PSU broke the tie, though, and went on a 10-3 run to make the score 21-14. The Nittany Lions never trailed after halfway through the rst half, and eventually scored a win over the Highs by a margin of 62-46. Jareal Smith led the Highs in scoring with 16, and was the only Highlander to reach double-digits in the points column. With a record of 2-1, RU will now return home to the Dedmon Center to face off against Central Penn College on the night of Wednesday, Nov. 16.
Photos by COURTNEY EARLL | The Tartan
In limited time so far this season, senior guard Daniel Mitchell has put up 4.7 points per game off the bench.
From page 7
I think we took care of the ball, and we got we wanted for the most part. Radford led by a slight decit of 23-18 at the half, and both teams seemed to have trouble with shooting and getting the ball to the basket. Price was one of the teams leading scorers with 13 points. The team as a whole scored 12 points in free throw shooting, and shot 12-21 as a whole from the line. Delaware shot 22-36 from the line as a team.
Jareal Smith is averaging 13.7 points per game and is leading the team in 3-point shot percentage with 36 percent.
SOCCER: Highlanders look back on 2011 with pride, look to improve in 2012
From page 7
shots on the opposing goalkeeper from 12 yards away. The first team with five goals is declared the winner. On the subject of penalty kicks, senior forward Iyiola Awosika said, You just hope for the best. Its 50/50 luck and getting the right connection with the ball. After five players shot for each team, the score was still tied (3-3). In this situation, sudden death is enforced. If a player scores and the opposing player misses, the game is over. Characteristic of the game, the score was eventually still tied 4-4 after a combination of makes and misses. On their eighth attempt, RU senior midfielder Ryan Stinnetts shot grazed past the goal, resulting in a miss that gave LU the opportunity to achieve victory with a make. LUs senior midfielder Juan Nino answered the miss by putting the ball into the back of the net, ending the game. Youve got guys going up there that played for four years at Radford and put a lot of sweat and tears into it, and it comes down to a little bit of nervethats life, theyll get over it, well play again, and thats the way it is, Head Coach Marc Reeves said. Luis Grande added onto the topic, saying that, It happenseven professional players can miss. Despite the disappointing, heartbreaking loss early in the tournament, the Highs have high hopes for next season. However, expectations become more difficult to fill when seven seniors have played their last game of RU soccer. Thats the way college soccer is set up, Reeves said. Were constantly graduating and hopefully graduating starters and good players and thats certainly the case. Reeves also said, We lose some big pieces. Every one of those seven guys contributed in a big way this year Weve already had some very good commitments for 2012 that will fill some of those pieces and the spring will need to have a lot of hard work from the core group here. Despite the challenge of replacing key factors of the team, the Highs have a lot more to work on as well. Junior goalkeeper Ryan Taylor said a few of his goals for the team, saying that, We have to try to improve on our away form. We only won two games away from home this year. We have to make sure that next year that changes. Even though the seven seniors cant make an impact on the field for RU anymore, some plan on making an impact on other fields in the future. When asked if he wants to continue his soccer career, Awosika said, Id definitely like to. Right now Im just enjoying a bit of time off and focusing on school work but I definitely will look forward to hopefully playing after I graduate from college. Awosika had a team-leading nine goals on the season and 28 in his four years with the Highs. Obviously, Awosika will be a challenging player to replace, given his offensive production throughout his years on the team. But, the season never ends for RU Mens Soccer. Our assistant coach does a great job of getting ahead of the game, Reeves said on the topic of recruitment. The Highs refuse to let the premature ending of the season bring them down. They expect to turn things around in the offseason and be an improved team when they step onto the field in September of 2012.
with
Jesse Miedema
Miedema, a sophomore, is an outside hitter for the Volleyball team
Take me to the last thirty minutes before a game. What thoughts are running through your head?
Courtesy of RU Athletics
In the last thirty minutes before a game, I am focused on my hitting and serving reps during my teams warm up. Also, I am focused on remembering what our coach told us about our opponent in the scouting report.
Having already played almost two years as a Highlander, do you still get nervous before the start of a game?
I wouldnt say that I still get nervous before the start of the game, but I am always excited.
How do you think the season has gone for RU Volleyball?

I think the RU Volleyballs season has gone exceptionally well this year. We have done better in conference matches than in years past and we are ranked much higher in the Big South conference than last season.
What are your thoughts looking forward to the Big South Tournament?
My thoughts for the last few games of the season are just to play well and to win.
Ta r ta n
pick em
Week 11 NYJ @ DEN CAR @ DET CIN @ BAL OAK @ MIN BUF @ MIA TB @ GB DAL @ WAS JAC @ CLE SEA @ STL ARI @ SF TEN @ ATL SD @ CHI PHI @ NYG Last Week Season Laura Jets Lions Ravens Raiders Bills Bucs Cowboys Jags Rams 49ers Falcons Chargers Eagles 6-7 69-51 Meghan Jets Lions Ravens Raiders Bills Packers Cowboys Browns Seahawks 49ers Titans Bears Giants 6-7 79-41 Christian Jets Lions Ravens Raiders Bills Packers Redskins Browns Seahawks 49ers Falcons Bears Giants 5-8 75-45 Courtney Broncos Lions Bengals Raiders Dolphins Packers Redskins Jags Rams 49ers Titans Bears Giants 8-5 75-45 Jennifer Broncos Lions Ravens Vikings Bills Packers Cowboys Jags Seahawks Cards Titans Chargers Giants 9-4 63-57 Matt Jets Lions Bengals Raiders Bills Packers Cowboys Browns Rams 49ers Falcons Bears Giants 10-3 77-43
PIGSKIN
[email protected]
Matt Halberg

Tartan Tartan: Pigskin

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Tartan Tartan: Pigskin

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Tartan Tartan: Pigskin

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE TARTAN Nov.

Photos by COURTNEY EARLL | The Tartan

How do you think the season has gone for RU Volleyball?

You might also like