Statesmen Battle Through Double Overtime in Heartbreaker to No. 21 Brunswick

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA — In a marathon matchup that featured two overtime periods, the Richard Bland College Statesmen came up just short in an 80-88 loss to Brunswick Community College on Wednesday night. After trailing by 10 at halftime, the Statesmen stormed back in the second half to force overtime and continued to fight through a second extra frame before Brunswick pulled away late.

RBC found its rhythm after the break, outscoring Brunswick 38-28 in the second half to erase the halftime deficit. Both teams traded baskets in the first overtime, each scoring seven points, before Brunswick used a 9-17 advantage in the second overtime to seal the win.

Aleksandar Bihler led the Statesmen with 22 points, knocking down 11-of-14 from the free-throw line while adding eight rebounds and five assists. Jermaine Coston Jr. turned in a dominant performance inside with 21 points and 14 rebounds, battling through all 50 minutes of action. Andy Ramirez added 20 points and 14 boards for a double-double of his own, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Despite being held to 32.8 percent shooting from the field and 18.2 percent from three-point range, RBC controlled the glass with a 45-39 rebounding advantage and converted 32-of-39 free throws (82.1 percent). The Statesmen also forced 12 turnovers and collected 10 steals in the effort.

The Statesmen showed resilience in a high-intensity contest that required grit on every possession, playing four starters 46 minutes or more in the double-overtime battle. RBC will look to carry that toughness forward as conference play continues on Saturday night when they host Davidson-Davie Community College at 5pm. The team's sophomores will be honored prior to tip-off.

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