STATESMEN CAPTURE 74-68 VICTORY OVER PATRICK HENRY

PETERSBURG, Va. – Eighth-ranked Richard Bland built a 18-point lead and withstood a furious rally to post a 74-68 win in Region X conference men's basketball action on Thursday night in Statesman Hall.

Despite shooting 37 percent from the floor, the Statesmen were able to rally in the closing minutes after losing a 12-point halftime advantage.

With the win, RBC improved to 24-4 overall and 15-3 in the league. The Statesmen have now won two consecutive games since falling to Louisburg on Feb. 11. RBC currently stands in first place in the conference standings, which would mean a first-round bye at the league tournament.

Patrick Henry dropped its third straight to fall 15-9 overall and 12-4 in league play.

Reginald Moses (Henrico, VA) led the spark offensively with 16 points, following both Pedro Berrios (Hopewell, VA) and Melvin Gregory (Weems, VA) with 12 points each while Tavon Mealy (Richmond, VA) added 10 points.

The Statesmen built an early 11-6 lead before the Patriots cut the deficit to four, 25-21 with 8:18 remaining in the first half.

An 11-3 run by RBC would extend its lead to 45-33 going into intermission.

In the second half, the Statesmen would continue the momentum as they built a 51-35 lead after three minutes of play.

The Patriots rallied late to chop the Statesmen lead to three with 2:18 left in the game after a steal and layup from Josh Beck that would lead to a timeout.

Two made free-throws by Jhamir White (Paterson, NJ) would give the Statesmen cushion to seal out the win.

RBC held a 16-2 advantage in second chance points and outrebounded the Patriots 54-36, 21 being offensive for the Statesmen.

Richard Bland returns to action for its final two home games of the regular season at Statesman Hall, starting with a Sunday afternoon meeting with Wake Tech Community College. The Statesmen and Eagles meet at 3 p.m. with Fox Sports Radio 1340 AM, Steve "Da Truth" Nugent broadcasting live on http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/WHAP

For more information on RBC men's basketball, please visit www.rbcathletics.com.

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