No. 17 Richard Bland Takes Thrilling 99-94 Overtime Victory Past Visiting No. 11 Louisburg (N.C.) In NJCAA Division II Top 20 Battle

GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS (YouTube)

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Sophomore Robert Smith/Hampton scored a team-high 24 points, and classmate Tim Bing Jr./Suitland, Maryland added 18 points, to lead No. 17 Richard Bland College to a 99-94 Region 10 men's basketball overtime victory past No. 11 Louisburg (N.C.) College on Monday night in Statesman Hall.  Sophomore Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York made the go-ahead three-point field goal with 5.5-seconds remaining in OT, and following a turnover by the Hurricanes, Smith secured the thrilling triumph with a two-handed slam dunk at 3.8-seconds for the host and nationally-ranked Statesmen (12-5, 6-3) against visiting and nationally-ranked Louisburg (13-4, 7-1).  Jordan Oakley scored a game-high 36 points for the Hurricanes.

Richard Bland took an early 13-9 lead at 13:16 behind three-straight baskets inside from freshman Tyrell Mendenhall/Newberry, South Carolina.  It was a 21-11 advantage at 11:20 following a layup by sophomore Deon Joyner/North Charleston, South Carolina, 31-20 at 7:45 after a three-pointer from Bing, and 35-26 at 4:54 following a three-pointer by freshman Marvin Trotman/Virginia Beach.  Louisburg cut the deficit to 35-30 at 3:29, but two quick baskets from sophomore Tre' Patterson/Richmond and a jumper by classmate Stanley Taylor/Petersburg made it 41-30, and the lead was 41-31 at the intermission.

Louisburg closed to within 43-39 early in the second half at 15:03, but a quick 8-2 run made it 51-41 at 13:40 after an offensive rebound and slam dunk from Smith.  The Statesmen led 56-46 at 11:59 following a layup by Smith, it was 60-50 at 10:29 after a three-pointer from Patterson, and 66-54 at 9:01 following a pair of free throws by Patterson.  Richard Bland took its largest lead of the contest at 69-56 with 7:17 remaining in regulation, and the hosts still led 71-62 at 6:26 after two free throws by Hicks.  The Hurricanes closed to within 73-70 at 5:14 via a three-pointer, and it was 77-74 at 3:08 courtesy of a layup by Oakley.  Smith's three-pointer at 2:23 made it 82-76, but Louisburg scored the final six points of regulation to force OT tied at 82-82.

Richard Bland and Louisburg traded baskets during the extra five minutes, tied at 84-84 (4:34), 86-86 (3:47) and 88-88 (2:40) before a pair of free throws and a three-pointer by Smith made it 92-89 at 2:04.  The Hurricanes made another three-pointer to tie it at 92-92 with 1:44 on the clock, and two free throws from Bing sandwiched by 2-4 free throws by Louisburg left it tied at 94-94 with 37-seconds remaining.  Following a timeout, Hicks made his go-ahead three-pointer from the right side of the floor just in front of the Statesmen bench with 5.5-seconds left in OT for a 97-94 lead.  The visitors turned the ball over, and Smith sealed it with his dunk with 3.8-seconds on the clock to provide for the final five-point margin of victory.

Smith led Richard Bland with his team-high 24 points, adding a team-high eight rebounds, as well.  Bing finished with his 18 points, adding five rebounds and six assists.  Patterson had 11 points and a team-high seven assists, Hicks contributed 10 points and six assists, and Joyner added nine points.  Richard Bland shot 46% (33-71) from the field, including 41% (9-22) on three-pointers, and 73% (24-33) at the free throw line.

Oakley led Louisburg with his game-high 36 points, adding a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double.  Ja'Darien Wade finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Lewis Freeman had 13 points.  Jalen Gaddy contributed 11 points, and Mikell Watkins had a game-high 10 assists.  The Hurricanes shot 55% (36-65) from the field, including 35% (7-20) on three-pointers, and 56% (15-27) at the line.

Richard Bland and Louisburg were playing for the 11th time in the sport of men's basketball, and the Hurricanes still lead the closely-played rivalry series at 6-5.  The two teams will meet again on February 7 in North Carolina.

Richard Bland will play three more Region 10 home games in Statesman Hall this week.  The Statesmen will also host in-state rival Patrick Henry on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m., Guilford Tech (N.C.) on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. and Lenoir (N.C.) on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m.