Second half struggles are Rhinos' undoing at Richard Bland

Gaston College's second half deficit was too large for a late Rhinos' comeback as they lost 74-69 at Richard Bland College on Thursday night.

Gaston College, which dropped to 2-9 in Region 10 and 9-15 overall, fell behind by 16 points at 72-56 with two minutes to play before a 13-1 surge to close within 73-69 with 17.5 seconds left.

But host Statesmen (7-6, 12-14) hit one of two free throws with 16.3 seconds left then forced a Rhinos' turnover on their final possession.

"It's a tough loss," Gaston College interim coach Jermaine Williams said. "I felt great about the outlook of the game, the matchup and personnel. We didn't sustain the good levels of play, gave up unnecessary runs because of things we are not doing well and didn't execute our game plan."

Tyheim Love (17 points, 3 assists), Jamal Ukaegbu (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks), Yarayah Evans (14 points, 6 rebounds), Kush Carter (7 points, 6 rebounds) and Ajaden Gray (7 points, 6 rebounds) led a balanced Rhinos' attack.

"Hats off to Richard Bland for being better, tougher and getting the win," Williams said. "I thought Ajaden played great. I want to continue growing him and that part of our attack for an inside presence."

The loss ended Gaston College's five-game road trip with a 1-4 record. The Rhinos now return home on Sunday at 3 p.m. against Wake Tech at Gastonia's Ashbrook High School.

"The plan is to fight for what we want," Williams said. "We want wins. Wins won't be easy but I'm prepared to do my part to help lead the charge with no panicking. It's one game at a time, get wins, make the tourney and have it all come together when it truly counts."