Men’s Basketball Grabs Two Conference Wins Over Weekend

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA – The Richard Bland College Men's Basketball team moves to 8-12 overall, 4-4 in conference play after traveling to Wake Technical Community College Wednesday afternoon, USC Salkehatchie Friday evening, and Denmark Technical College Saturday afternoon.

Wednesday evening, the Statesmen fell in a heartbreaking battle to the Eagles at the buzzer. Richard Bland held a seven point, 39-32 lead at the half, but the Eagles went on to outscore the Statesmen by nine in the second half as Richard Bland fell 71-73. Two Statesmen scored double-digit figures in the loss. Larry Howell led the way with his fourth double-double of the season with 29 points, 11 boards, three assists, and three steals. Brandon Hendryx pitched in with 10 points and four rebounds, while Martin Kawa tallied eight points, four steals, three rebounds, and two assists in the loss. Ibrahim Kourouma and Mekhi Phipps-Dedrick had seven points and two rebounds each for the Statesmen. Richard Bland went 81.8% from the charity stripe, 41.0% from the field, and 18.8% from the perimeter.

Friday evening, the Statesmen came out strong over the Indians holding a 10 point, 38-28 lead at the half. The Statesmen went on to defeat USC Salkehatchie 80-66 on the road. Larry Howell led the way once again tallying his fifth double-double on the season with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Kawa added 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the win. Mekhi Phipps-Dedrick also chipped in with 10 points, followed by Kourouma with nine, Tim Robinson with eight, and Jalen Smith with seven. Richard Bland went 61.9% at the charity stripe, 44.1% from the field, and 38.5% at the perimeter.

Saturday afternoon, Richard Bland went on to defeat the Panthers of Denmark Technical College 77-71. Richard Bland held a steady, 45-27 lead at the break, and would add 32 more points to bring home the victory. Six Statesmen tallied double-digit figures in the win. Ibrahim Kourouma led the way with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Martin Kawa tallied 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and one block. Howell and Robinson had 12 points each and added seven and six rebounds respectively. Off the bench, Imani Anderson chipped in with 11 points and Phipps-Dedrick was credited with 10. Richard Bland went 72.7% from the charity stripe, 52.0% from the field, and 52.9% from the perimeter.

The Richard Bland College men's basketball team next hosts Washington Adventist University's JV squad on Wednesday, January 24^th at 7pm, following the women's game at 5pm.