Radford beats LIU Brooklyn in First Four, advances to play No. 1 Villanova

Highlanders beat Blackbirds, 71-61

DAYTON, Ohio – Third time's a charm for Radford University as the Highlanders picked up their first-ever NCAA Tournament win Tuesday night against LIU Brooklyn.

Radford led by two points at the half, 30-28, and the team's strong second-half led to the 71-61 victory.

The two No. 16 seeds faced off in the opening game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in Dayton, Ohio.

The Highlanders had four players in double-figures with Ed Polite Jr. and Travis Fields Jr. each scoring 13 points. Carlik Jones and Donald Hicks added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Polite Jr. (13 rebounds) and Jones (11 rebounds) registered double-doubles in the win.

Radford will now look to become the first No. 16 seed to ever defeat a No. 1 seed as the Highlanders will face the Villanova Wildcats in Pittsburgh. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. Thursday and the game will be broadcast on TNT.

This year marks Radford's third NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, with the previous two being in the 1997-98 and 2008-09 seasons.