RADFORD, Va. – Dennis Parker Jr. made Radford men’s basketball history Sunday afternoon, scoring a program- and Big South-record 53 points to lead the Highlanders to a 107-77 victory over Coppin State.
Parker broke the previous Radford single-game scoring record of 43 points, set by Doug Day on Dec. 12, 1990, and surpassed the Big South mark of 51 points by Chris Clemons. He made 19 field goals, also a program record, and finished with 10 3-pointers, one shy of Day’s school record.
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Lukas Walls added 15 points and Tyson Brown scored 14 for Radford. Jaylon Johnson dished out a season-high nine assists, and the Highlanders forced 23 Coppin State turnovers, the most by a Radford opponent this season. Radford knocked down 16 3-pointers, tying the program record for a Division I opponent, last achieved in 1998 against VCU.
Radford jumped out quickly behind Parker’s hot shooting. After a 3-pointer by Walls opened the scoring, Parker scored the next 10 points to give the Highlanders a 13-5 lead less than three minutes into the game. A dunk by Brown and another basket from Parker pushed the advantage to 17-5.
The Highlanders led 25-10 before a scoring drought and a series of turnovers allowed Coppin State to rally. Radford made just one field goal over a six-minute stretch in the first half, and the Eagles tied the game at 34 with 4:38 remaining. Radford regrouped late to take a 43-41 lead into halftime.
Parker again set the tone early in the second half, scoring Radford’s first eight points to extend the lead to 51-41. The Highlanders maintained control and led 73-60 with 9:30 remaining.
Radford broke the game open after the under-eight media timeout with a 12-0 run, sparked by Parker’s record-setting shooting. He hit a 3-pointer to pass Day for the program record, then followed with two more from long range. With 1:25 left, Parker connected again from beyond the arc to eclipse Clemons’ Big South record, finishing with 53 points as Radford pulled away for the 30-point win.