STATESMEN DEFEAT LENOIR, 83-82 IN REGION X TOURNAMENT OT THRILLER

PETERSBURG, Va., (Feb. 27, 2016) – At this time of year, Richard Bland College head coach Chuck Moore says it's all about surviving and advancing, and that's what the Statesmen did against Lenoir Community College in the opening round of the Region X Conference Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

No. 7 seed Richard Bland needed two extra sessions to fend off a scrappy No. 10 seed Lenoir, in registering a heart-stopping 83-82 double overtime victory. It didn't come particularly easy as the visiting Lancers forced the two extra sessions by converting two free throws with 2 seconds remaining by freshman guard Gianpaolo Riccio and a 3-pointer from the top of the key from sophomore guard Davon Edwards with five seconds left in the first overtime.

Thanks to clutch 3-pointers and a team-high 21 points from sophomore guard Reginald Moses, Richard Bland advances to Sunday's 4 p.m. quarterfinal game against No. 2 seed Patrick Henry at Statesman Hall. Richard Bland improves to 15-16 on the season and will face a Patriots team that narrowly won both regular season games against the Statesmen, one in overtime in Petersburg on Jan. 27 (95-88) and the other on Feb. 17 (68-64).

With 2 seconds remaining in the game and Richard Bland leading 59-57, the Statesmen were unable to close out the game at the free throw line and after a miss, Riccio was fouled trying to launch a game winning 3-pointer just inside the half court line. He calmly sank both free throws, knotting the game 59-59.

In the first overtime session, Richard Bland surged ahead 67-65 on the 3-point shooting prowess of Moses with 1:51 remaining. A single free throw by sophomore forward Devin Smith with 13 seconds to play put the Statesmen seemingly in the driver's seat, 70-67. As time was expiring, Edwards nailed a 35-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key with 5 seconds led to tied the game 70-70 and force a second extra session.

Moses kicked off the second overtime with a 3-pointer and freshman guard Jordan Griggs converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play for a 76-74 RBC lead with 2:49 to play. Two additional free throws by Griggs pushed the lead to 80-75 with 1:56 remaining, but there wasn't any quit in Lenoir. A 3-pointer by Edwards gave the Lancers an 82-80 lead with 36 seconds left.

Out of a time out, sophomore guard Gerard Dean-McBride athletically slid through the Lenoir defense and his layup led to an 82-82 tie. Following another timeout, a slashing Smith was fouled on his layup attempt. His conversion of one free throw afforded the Statesmen its 83-82 margin of victory.

"It's called survive and advance this time of the year," said Richard Bland head coach Chuck Moore. "We found a way to win, but hats off to Lenoir. Both teams played their hearts out."

The Statesmen, who led 32-24 at halftime, were able to weather a Lenoir 15-2 second half run that saw the Lancers take a 37-34 lead less than three minutes into the half. By the 16-minute mark, momentum had swung in Lenoir's favor as the lead increased to 40-37.

Edwards, who scored 26 of his game-high 32 points in the second half, connected on two free throws to push Lenoir ahead 44-40 a Moses 3-pointer ignited the RBC comeback with 11:13 remaining. In a game of momentum swings, a Dean-McBride layup with 5:37 remaining pushed RBC ahead 55-48. Edwards and Riccio spearheaded a 9-3 spurt to come within 58-57 with 48 seconds to play.

Smith followed Moses' 21 points with a 19-point outing. Dean-McBride dished out seven assists for the Statesmen.

Lenoir got the bulk of its points from Edwards with 32 and Riccio, who fouled out late in the first overtime, with 18 points and 12 rebounds.