No. 14 Richard Bland Falls To Valley Forge (Pa.) Military 84-83

FREDERICK, Md. -- Sophomore Deandre Clark/Orange scored a team-high 23 points, though No. 14 Richard Bland College dropped an 84-83 men's basketball decision to Valley Forge (Pa.) Military College during the opening game of the FCC Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night at Frederick Community College in Frederick, Maryland. Sophomore Jaquan Wooten/Kinston, North Carolina added 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds for the Statesmen (1-1) against the Eagles (1-0), who got a game-high 29 points from Jordan McDay. Richard Bland will play Delaware Technical Community College on Saturday afternoon, November 5, at 1 p.m. in Maryland.

Richard Bland, ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA Division II Preseason Poll, fell behind early against Valley Forge before battling back to tie the game at 26-26 with about eight minutes left until halftime. The Statesmen, however, trailed 44-39 at the intermission. Clark scored 11 first-half points for Richard Bland, including a trio of three-point field goals, while freshman Deon Joyner/North Charleston, South Carolina contributed eight points off the bench during the opening 20 minutes. McDay had 15 points at the break for the Eagles, including four three-pointers.

Valley Forge maintained an advantage for much of the second half, getting 14 second-half points from McDay, including 6-6 free throws. Richard Bland fought back and tied the contest at 76-76 in the final minutes, as Clark connected on two of his four second-half three-pointers. The Eagles, however, used a late 8-4 run before a last-second three-pointer by freshman Ricky Hicks/Bronx, New York provided for the final margin.

Clark led Richard Bland with a team-high 23 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers. Wooten added 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Freshman Brandon Henry/Chester had 11 points, off the bench, while both Hicks and Joyner each finished with eight points.

McDay led Valley Forge with 29 points, while Khalief Tinley added 19 points.

Richard Bland was playing Valley Forge for the first-time ever in the sport of men's basketball.