Skip To Main Content

Campbell University

Chris Clemons
Tim Cowie
Chris Clemons (3)
68
Winner CAMPBELL CAMPBELL 12-9, 5-2 BSC
67
Radford RAD 15-7, 7-1 BSC
Winner
CAMPBELL CAMPBELL
12-9, 5-2 BSC
68
Final
67
Radford RAD
15-7, 7-1 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CAMPBELL CAMPBELL 24 44 68
Radford RAD 27 40 67

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Clemons' buzzer beater completes 68-67 comeback at Radford

CU closes on 8-0 run over final 19.2 seconds to beat defending champs

RADFORD, VA. – He did it again!
 
Chris Clemons hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to lift Campbell to a 68-67 win over Big South leader Radford Wednesday at the Dedmon Center.
 
For the fourth time in his storied career – and third time in the last two seasons – the Big South Conference's all-time leading scorer launched a game-winning shot.
 
Campbell (12-9, 5-2) trailed by 15 with 9:05 remaining and 67-60 when Carlik Jones hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 41.5 seconds to play.  However, the Highlanders (15-7, 7-1) missed 4 free throws in the last 28 seconds to give the Camels a chance.
 
After Jones missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 28 seconds to go, Andrew Eudy knocked down a 3 from the top of the key to cut the margin to 67-63 with 19.2 seconds left.  A career 87 percent free throw shooter, Caleb Tanner missed a front end opportunity and Clemons drove into the paint, was fouled and made a pair to cut the gap to 67-65 with 9.7 to play.
 
Travis Fields had a chance to seal the victory, but missed both ends of a 2-shot opportunity with 6.2 seconds left to set up Clemons' second game-winning shot over the Highlanders in just over a year.
 
"It was incredible," said Campbell head coach Kevin McGeehan.  "I don't know that I've ever been a part of one like that when so many times it looked like it wasn't going our way. It says a lot about our guys. We beat the best team in the conference on the road. There's a lot of the season to go, but it does help our confidence going forward. I'm so proud of our team."
 
The nation's leading scorer (28.3), Clemons followed a season-low 14 points Saturday at Hampton with 39 on Wednesday.  It was his second 30-plus point effort in a Camel win at the Dedmon Center, including a 36-point outing two years ago in a 78-61 victory in Radford.
 
Clemons scored 28 in the second half alone and made 11-of-22 overall, including 8-of-15 threes, plus 9-of-11 from the line.  Cory Gensler added 9 points (3-of-5 triples), while Eudy, who averaged 17.2 in CU's first six league contests, finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
 
Jones led Radford with 18 points and 7 assists, while Ed Polite, Jr., finished with 13 points and 11 boards, becoming just the fourth player in Big South history to reach 1,000 career rebounds with his first of the night.  Mawdo Sallah and Devonnte Holland chipped in 12 apiece for the Highlanders, who outscored the Camels by a 32-12 margin in the paint.
 
However, Campbell knocked down 14-of-32 beyond the arc and won for the fifth time in the last six games against Radford despite shooting just 38 percent overall.  The Camels committed only two turnovers in the final period and completed their second rally from at least 14 points in the last four games to improve to 3-1 on the road in conference play.
 
The defending Big South champ and pre-season favorite, Radford suffered its first loss of the season at home (9-1) and saw its eight-game win streak halted after shooting 46 percent from the floor, but only 6-of-20 beyond the arc and 9-of-15 (4-9 in the final half) from the stripe.
 
Clemons' three capped a 15-4 Camel burst around halftime and gave the Camels a 36-31 lead with 16:08 to play.  However, the Highlanders hit seven of their next eight shots in an 18-1 run and led 54-39 when Tanner connected on a triple from the right side with 9:05 remaining before Campbell rallied for the win.
 
Radford earned November road wins at Notre Dame and Texas and was ranked No.-24 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll after getting off to its best start ever in league play.  The Highlanders then jumped to an 11-3 lead Wednesday, but Clemons hit a pair of threes to pull the Camels within 15-14 with 10:55 to play in the opening half. 
 
CU went 8:48 without a field goal, but only trailed 25-18 before Cory Gensler knocked down a pair of threes to cut the Highlander lead to 27-24 at the break.

Clemons moved by Otis Birdsong of Houston (2832 from 1973-77) into 15th place on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list with 2,836 points in 118 career outings.  He extended his double-figure scoring streak to 103 games, the longest among all active players and fourth-best in D1 history.
 
After winning 4 of their last 5 outings (including 3 on the road), the Camels begin a string of three home dates in their next four outings Saturday against Longwood (2:00).


 
Print Friendly Version