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FARMVILLE, Va. – The backcourt duo of YaYa Anderson and Cameron Jones scored 20 points each to lead Radford to a 90-81 win over Longwood in an offensive slugfest Wednesday evening in Willett Hall.
 
In a game that featured a combined five 20-point scorers, the Highlanders (13-9, 6-4 Big South) had just enough firepower to outlast a Longwood (6-16, 2-7 Big South) team that got a career-high 28 points from Tra'Vaughn White, 23 from Kanayo Obi-Rapu and 21 from Lotanna Nwogbo.
 
"This was a really hard-fought matchup, and I thought our lack of depth got us in the end," said head coach Jayson Gee. "Give Radford credit. They have some really good players. They're hitting those shots in a lot of key situations, a lot of tough shots in tough situations. Cameron Jones hit some big-time threes. YaYa Anderson is known for that, and he's been off this year, but he had his best game of the year tonight."
 
Jones and Anderson did the bulk of their damage from three-point range, combining for all 10 Radford three-pointers as the Highlanders avenged a 90-71 double-overtime loss in their last trip to Willett Hall. Ed Polite added 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Brandon Holcomb chipped in 12 points, seven boards and three steals.
 
Longwood's seven-man rotation, again without injured starting forward Shaquille Johnson, put up its highest point total in a Big South game this season, but it wasn't enough against a surging Radford team that improved to 5-2 in January, all Big South wins.
 
For the second straight game, Longwood enjoyed a hot start and carried a lead past the midway point of the first half, only to watch that lead disintegrate after allowing a lengthy run. Sparked by 11 early points from Nwogbo, the Lancers jumped out to a 23-21 lead by the seven-minute mark, but Radford responded with 14 unanswered points and led the rest of the way. The Highlanders scored on six consecutive possessions during that stretch, including back-to-back-to-back treys from Anderson and Jones.
 
"We have lapses," Gee said. "Whether that's fatigue or having to play guys who really aren't ready for the role they have, I don't have time to figure that out. It happens, and we just can't let it happen. Those lapses aid on those runs…a missed box-out, things like that. It gives their guys confidence, and I thought that was a big key."
 
Radford put together three separate stretches of at least six consecutive points, all immediately after Longwood had trimmed the deficit to two possessions or fewer. The last of those, a 6-0 run, came after White converted a three-point play to make it a one-point game, 52-51, with 11:10 to play. Those six unanswered points in response turned into a 12-4 run that set Radford up to lead by at least six points the rest of the way.
 
Anderson, Jones and Polite all scored 10-plus points after halftime. Anderson hit all three of his three-point attempts after the break, while Polite patrolled the glass with seven of his 11 boards.
 
That trio was enough to offset another Herculean effort from White who paired with Obi-Rapu to score 20 points in the final 6:11 of the game. White, finally healthy after battling a broken foot in the preseason and a broken hand in December, ran his double-figure scoring stretch to five games.
 
"Tra had 28. We needed him to get 40," Gee said. "I thought Radford did something very interesting, double-teaming him in the backcourt. It made it tough for him to get the ball, and it limited his touches. We could never adjust to that, but he still found a way to keep us in the game."
 
Obi-Rapu's 23-point game was his second straight 20-point outburst and included 5-of-8 three-pointers. The sophomore guard has hit 9-of-15 (.600) three-point attempts over his past two games. Nwogbo, meanwhile, bounced back from a foul-plagued, seven-point effort last time out against Winthrop to post his sixth double-double.
 
"We don't want anything easy," Gee said. "As I said to the team, we have to take advantage of these times and get something out of it. Even if it's just gaining momentum or gaining experience for guys that we'll need down the stretch, even if they're not having success, once they get back in place they'll be better at the roles they have.
 
"I'm proud of my team tonight. They fought, shorthanded, never once felt sorry for themselves and never once didn't expect to win. I give them credit for that."
 
Longwood returns to the court Saturday in a televised game at UNC Asheville on the American Sports Network. The game tips off at noon in Kimmel Arena.
 
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