IN TIGHTLY CONTESTED GAME, STATESMEN CLIPPED BY CATAWBA VALLEY, 67-64

HICKORY, N.C. (Dec. 5, 2015) — The Richard Bland College men's basketball team got a put back basket as the buzzer sounded from freshman forward Nikola Lakic (Belgrade, Serbia/Amelia Academy) to close out the first half with a 33-31 lead, but the Statesmen were upended by a late Catawba Valley Community College push and were clipped, 67-64, in Region X Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

After a plethora of high scoring games to start the season, the Statesmen and Red Hawks played the lowest scoring contest of the season for both teams. It was a tightly-contested back-and-forth affair that saw neither team hold more than a four point lead throughout the contest. In the end, an aggressive Catawba team forced the issue and earned the victory with made free throws down the stretch.

With the loss, Richard Bland drops to 5-6, 2-2. The Statesmen will play their next three games at home to close out the first semester, starting with hosting Guilford Technical Community College on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. The contest serves as RBC's annual Wounded Warrior Project Game. Catawba next hosts Caldwell Community College on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.

The back and forth game saw its most meaningful stretch in the final eight minutes. The Statesmen built a 59-55 lead and the Red Hawks fought back to take a 62-60 lead with 2:49 to play. Moments later, a 3-pointer by freshman guard Kai Brown (Williamsburg, VA/Walsingham Academy) pushed the Statesmen into a 63-62 lead, but it wouldn't hold. Catawba scored its final five points from the free throw line.

Petersburg's Gevon Arrington (Petersburg, VA/Petersburg) led Richard Bland in scoring with 15 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Troy Gibson (Newport News, VA/Heritage) added 10 points and nine rebounds. Freshman center Jaquan Wooten (Goldsboro, NC/South Lenoir) had a team-best 13 rebounds.