No. 8 Richard Bland Welcomes Bryant & Stratton On Saturday
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College will welcome Region 10 member Bryant & Stratton College in men's basketball on Saturday afternoon, February 18 at 3 p.m. in Statesman Hall. The nationally-ranked Statesmen, No. 8 in this week's NJCAA Division II Top 20 Poll, feature an overall record of 22-4, including 14-2 in Region 10, with nine wins in their last 10 games and 18-2 over the last 20 contests. The Bobcats are 16-11 overall, 12-7 in Region 10.
Admission is free to all Richard Bland home games, while the contest can be heard locally on WHAP Radio, Fox Sports 1340 AM. The contest has been designated as Tri-Cities Schools Day.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 8 Richard Bland (22-4, 14-2) vs. Bryant & Stratton (16-11, 12-7)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017
Time: 3 p.m.
Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM | Via Phone: 641-552-5316
Location: Statesman Hall
Series History: 3-3
Scouting the Statesmen
No. 8 Richard Bland is 22-4 overall after a 74-51 home win past Patrick Henry on Feb. 15. The Statesmen, who are an outstanding 96-29 (.768) over the past four seasons, are coached by head coach Chuck Moore, who is in his fourth season, and assisted by fourth-year assistant coach Brian Henderson, second-year assistant coach Preston Beverly and first-year graduate assistant coach Mike Wynn.
Through 26 games, Richard Bland has been led in scoring by 6-4 sophomore guard Deandre Clark/Orange, who is averaging 12.7 points (68 3FGs), 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He is followed by local 6-3 sophomore guard Gevon Arrington/Petersburg, who is averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while 6-9 sophomore center Jaquan Wooten/Kinston, North Carolina is averaging 11.8 points (65 FG%), 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks with 10 double-doubles. Richard Bland is averaging 83.0 points per game, while allowing just 67.0 points to opponents for a scoring margin of +16.0.
Scouting the Bobcats
Bryant & Stratton is 16-11 overall after a 98-69 road loss at No. 5 Louisburg (N.C.) College on Feb. 15, and is coached by Cliff Coleman. The Bobcats have been led in scoring by freshman Jordan Forbes (17.8), sophomore Romello Anderson (12.4), freshman Gerrard Simpkins (12.2) and sophomore Ezekiel Ingram (10.0). Bryant & Stratton averages 80.2 points, while allowing only 81.0 points to opponents for a scoring margin of -0.8.
Series History
Richard Bland and Bryant & Stratton are playing for the seventh time in the sport of men's basketball, and the series is currently tied at 3-3. The Statesmen won the first meeting this season by a score of 87-54 on January 22 in Norfolk. Jaquan Wooten led the way with 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, followed by freshman Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York with 11 points. Gerrard Simpkins had 13 points for the Bobcats. Bryant & Stratton won both games last season by scores of 76-52 in Norfolk (2/7/16) and 87-80 at Statesman Hall (2/23/16).
Among the National Leaders
Richard Bland is ranked eighth in NJCAA Division II rebounding (45.7), 17th in blocks (4.8), 21st in steals (10.5), 28th in assists (18.4) and 39th in scoring (83.0). Jaquan Wooten is ranked seventh nationally in blocks (2.8), eighth in field goal percentage (64.7%, 119-184) and 22nd in rebounding (9.3). Deandre Clark is ranked 25th nationally in three-point field goals (68). Ricky Hicks is ranked 43rd nationally in assists (4.8).
2015 NJCAA Division II National Champions
Richard Bland won the 2015 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship, defeating John Wood (Ill.) Community College 64-53 on March 21, 2015 at the Mary Miller Gymnasium on the campus of Danville Community College in Danville, Illinois. The Statesmen finished their most memorable storybook 2014-15 campaign with a school-record of 32-4, winning the national title in only their second year back in action following a 20-year hiatus from competitive sports at Richard Bland College.
Up Next
Richard Bland remains at home for its final two Region 10 games to complete the regular season, including Vance-Granville (N.C.) next Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., followed by Wake Tech (N.C.) on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. The Vance-Granville contest has been designated as the annual Hall of Fame/Alumni Night, while the Wake Tech contest is Sophomore Night for the Statesmen.