DANVILLE, Ill.  – History was made for Richard Bland College (Va.) Saturday night in Danville, Ill., as the Statesmen men's basketball team captured the NJCAA Division II national championship with a 65-53 win over John Wood (Ill.) at Mary Miller Gym in Danville. It is the first national title in any sport for Richard Bland, which two years ago reinstated intercollegiate athletics after two decade hiatus.

Sophomore forward Avery Ugba was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while sophomore forward Tavon Mealy was named to the All-Tournament Team. Head coach Chuck Moore was named Most Outstanding Coach.

Ugba led the Statesmen with 16 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds. He dominated the tournament field, posting four-straight double-double performances. Mealy followed with 13 points while collecting 10 rebounds and Pedro Berrios added 12 points.

The Statesmen shot 53 percent (16-30) from the floor and made five 3-pointers in the first half. Most importantly, the Statesmen never trailed in the contest despite giving up a 23-point lead in the second half.

Richard Bland outrebounded John Wood 56-45 and held the Blazers to 25 percent (5-20) from beyond the arc in the second half.

RBC opened up the game with a 12-1 spurt, and later held a 28-10 lead. The Blazers chipped away at the deficit in the second half, going on an 8-0 run over the last three and a half minutes to get within five points 58-53 after RBC missed its last 10 shots from the floor.

The Blazers closed the margin to five points until Ugba scored a layup to extend the Statesmen lead 60-53. Mealy and Melvin Gregory would sink free-throws with seconds left on the clock to seal the win.

Paxton Smith's 15 points led the Blazers, which finished its 2015 campaign as the national-runner up – the best finish in program history.

Richard Bland Sports Information contributed to this release

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