Statesmen Battle No. 20 Louisburg

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA — Richard Bland College went toe-to-toe with nationally ranked Louisburg College before falling 63-67 on Sunday afternoon. Louisburg entered the contest ranked No. 20 nationally in NJCAA Division II.

The Statesmen opened the game with strong energy, taking a 19-17 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 30-27 at halftime. Louisburg responded in the second half, using a 20-point fourth quarter to secure the road win.

La'Niah Thornton led the Statesmen with 21 points and 13 rebounds, knocking down four three-pointers and going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line to record a double-double performance.

Arianna Zepeda added 10 points and five assists, while Grace Riggs finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Hazel Veloz contributed eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists to help pace the Statesmen offense.

Richard Bland controlled the rebounding margin 43-38 and finished 13-for-18 (72.2%) from the free throw line, but struggled to find consistent shooting rhythm from the field.

The Statesmen will look to build on the performance as they continue conference play on Tuesday, February 10^th at Guilford Technical Community College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm at the Mary Perry Ragsdale Family YMCA in Jamestown, North Carolina.

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