Radford’s 3-pointers sink Penn State basketball

After Radford’s Cameron Jones banked in a 3-pointer, teammates Rashun Davis and Brandon Holcomb stood at the end of the bench holding up three fingers.

Jones then finished a layup on the break on the ensuing possession, bringing Davis to his feet again to smile and flex both arms.

Davis, still smiling, gave Jones a tap on the head as he made his way to the huddle after Penn State took a timeout. The Nittany Lions clapped on the other side of the court, trying to generate energy in a game they trailed by seven points with 11:01 to play.

But Penn State never got closer than five points the rest of the way in a 86-74 loss to Radford on Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Highlanders pushed the pace and knocked down 12 of 22 3-point attempts (54.5 percent) en route to handing the Nittany Lions their second straight loss. Duquesne drilled 17 3-pointers in a win over Penn State on Friday night.

“I’m a defensive coach, and our man-to-man defense has a lot of holes right now,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “We’re a step slow, so somehow we’re gonna have to simplify and continue on this path because we do have some talent.”

Julian Moore, who earned his first start of the season, scored a career-high 16 points to lead Penn State (2-2). Brandon Taylor added 15 points, and Shep Garner had 11 points.

Jones and Davis led the Radford attack.

Jones scored a game-high 23 points on 8 for 11 shooting, and Davis finished with 18 points on 7 for 10 shooting to go with a game-high nine assists.

The Highlanders (4-2) burned Penn State from beyond the arc just like Duquesne did.

Radford knocked down seven 3-pointers — matching Duquesne’s first-half total against the Nittany Lions — en route to building a three-point halftime lead.

The Highlanders didn’t match Duquesne’s pace in the second half, but they hit 3s at key moments and finished 5 for 7 from beyond the arc (71.4 percent) in the final 20 minutes. Duquesne and Radford both shot better than 60 percent from the field in the second half against Penn State.

“We’re all upset with how we played defense,” Taylor said. “He just told us it’s a process. We just got to keep on getting better, and we can’t let these two losses affect us and let it bring us down. We got to come together as a team and just figure it out.”

Radford started to find its rhythm more than midway through the first half

Jones knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to push Radford ahead 19-11, forcing Penn State to take a timeout with 9:06 left in the first half. Caleb Tanner connected from deep on Radford’s first possession after the timeout to give the Highlanders an 11-point lead — their largest of the first half.

Penn State chipped away at the deficit and pulled within 28-27 on a 3-pointer by Garner with four minutes to play until the break. The Nittany Lions grabbed a two-point lead after Taylor hit a 3 with more than a minute left.

But Jones answered with his fourth 3 of the first half, and Davis hit a pull-up jumper in the final seconds to send Radford into halftime with a 37-34 lead. The Highlanders shot 7 for 15 from beyond the arc in the first half.

“We just tried to execute with some pace, whether they were in a man or zone,” Radford coach Mike Jones said. “And we knew that that pace might create some opportunities for us. Fortunately, we hit a couple early. You know how that goes, you get a little confidence.”

Jones said each team came into the game with an advantage.

Penn State presented a challenge with its size. Jones felt his team was faster and “wanted to make it a 94-foot game.”

The Highlanders pushed the tempo. And they made shots against a Penn State team that was a step slow defensively.

“We felt playing zone tonight and man on Friday was the best way to slow some of these teams down, especially when they’re making 3s at such a high clip,” Chambers said. “We have to just keep working on our habits.”

Moore and Garner were the bright spots for Penn State.

Moore scored 13 points in the second half and finished 7 for 11 from the field. Garner attacked the basket, finishing drives and recording a career-high eight assists.

But it was a disappointing night for the team.

“They’re mad,” Chambers said. “They’re disappointed. They’re angry. They’re shocked.”

Notes: Chambers said Davis Zemgulis has an MCL sprain. Chambers said he’s hopeful Zemgulis will be back in 7-10 days. … Payton Banks finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Devin Foster added 10 points to round out five Penn State players in double figures. … It was Moore’s second career start. His previous career-high was 10 points against Illinois last season. ... Penn State hosts Bucknell at 1 p.m. Saturday.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Radford’s 3-pointers sink Penn State basketball."