Richard Bland Finishes 2016-17 Season Fourth In NJCAA Division II

Danville Commercial-News (Game Story)

DANVILLE, Ill. -- Sophomore Jaquan Wooten/Kinston, North Carolina scored a game-high 16 points, but No. 5 seed Richard Bland College dropped a 54-53 decision to No. 2 seed South Suburban (Ill.) College in the consolation game of the NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday night at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Illinois.  Classmate Deandre Clark/Orange added 11 points for the Statesmen (30-6) in the game played at Danville Area Community College.  Rasheide Bell scored 13 points for the third-place Bulldogs (24-12), including what proved to be the game-winning basket with 1:33 remaining.  Richard Bland finished fourth among 123 NJCAA Division II men's basketball programs. 

Richard Bland, ranked No. 8 in the final NJCAA Division II Top 20 Poll, got on the scoreboard first with a three-point field goal from Clark, and the Statesmen led 8-4 at 15:09 after another three-pointer by Clark that followed an offensive rebound put-back basket from Wooten.  South Suburban, No. 6 in the final DII Poll, used a 7-2 run to lead 11-10 at 11:03, before Richard Bland responded with six unanswered points to lead 16-11 at 9:15 … the quick run capped by a slam dunk by Wooten.  The Statesmen took their largest lead of the half and game at 25-19 with 4:33 on the clock, courtesy of Clark's third three-pointer.  The Bulldogs, however, rallied with a 12-4 run over the final 3:15 to lead 31-29 at the intermission, aided by a three-pointer just ahead of the buzzer.  Clark and Wooten led the first-half efforts with nine and eight points, respectively.

Richard Bland quickly tied the contest at 31-31 on a Clark layup just 19-seconds into the second half.  South Suburban, however, used an 11-4 run to take its largest lead at 42-35 with 13:57 remaining, and the margin was still seven at 48-41 with 9:36 on the clock.  The Statesmen; however, as they have all season long, battled back and scored 11 unanswered points of their own to take a 52-48 advantage with just 3:24 left to play.  Sophomore Gevon Arrington/Petersburg got it started with a three-pointer, his only points of the game, at 9:27, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play on a layup and free throw from freshman Brandon Henry/Chester at 7:40.  Wooten made 1-2 free throws at 5:47 to tie it at 48-48, and freshman Stanley Taylor/Petersburg made two free throws at 5:07 for the first lead of the half at 50-48, while classmate Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York added two free throws at 3:24 to make it 52-48.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs scored the next six-straight points, capped by a baseline jumper by Bell with 1:33 remaining for a 54-52 lead.  Wooten made 1-2 free throws with 1:22 left, before each team committed turnovers, giving the last possession to Richard Bland with 17.2-seconds on the clock.  The Statesmen missed a three-pointer from the left corner with three seconds left, and South Suburban missed two free throws at :01.6 to end the disappointing setback. 

Wooten led Richard Bland with his game-high 16 points, adding five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.  Clark finished with 11 points, including three three-pointers.  Henry contributed seven points and two steals, off the bench, while Taylor added six points and four rebounds, off the bench, as well.  Richard Bland shot 45% (19-42) from the field, including 29% (4-14) on three-pointers, and 73% (11-15) at the free throw line.

Bell led South Suburban with his 13 points, adding six rebounds and four assists.  Armon Benford also had 13 points for the Bulldogs, while Anthony Harris added 11 points and Shakur Pinder contributed 10 points.  SSC shot 39% (19-49) from the field, including 30% (3-10) on three-pointers, and 54% (10-13) at the line. 

Richard Bland and South Suburban were playing for the first time in the sport of men's basketball, and the Bulldogs now lead the series, 1-0.

Richard Bland was making its second National Tournament appearance in three years, after winning the 2015 NJCAA Division II National Championship.  The Statesmen defeated John Wood (Ill.) Community College 64-53 on March 21, 2015 at the Mary Miller Center, finishing their most memorable storybook 2014-15 campaign with a school-record of 32-4, while winning the national title in their second year back in action following a 20-year hiatus from competitive sports.  Richard Bland has attained a four-year record of 104-31 (.770) since men's basketball was reinstated at the College in 2013, following the 20-year hiatus.