DAYTON, Ohio — Carlik Jones had a substantial and loud cheering section at University of Dayton Arena, a lot of folks traveling about an hour up Interstate 75 from his Cincinnati hometown to see him play for Radford in a First Four game.
Jones didn’t disappoint. The redshirt freshman guard was the engine that drove the Highlanders, scoring 12 points to go with career highs in rebounds with 11 and assists with seven as Radford beat L.I.U.-Brooklyn by a score of 71-61 on Tuesday night to earn the first N.C.A.A. Tournament win in school history.
“It’s just big to be able to come back home and perform in front of my family and friends that haven’t been able to see me play,” Jones said.