Men's Basketball Falls To No. 14 Richard Bland

New Rochelle, N.Y. - The Frederick Community College men's basketball team headed north this weekend to play in the Monroe College Tournament in New Rochelle, New York. The tournament brought together very talented squads from the east coast including the host team, Monroe College (DI), Essex Community College of New Jersey (No. 4 DII), and Virginia's Richard Bland (No.14 DII).

The Cougars (1-3) opened up Saturday against the Statesmen from Richard Bland College (4-1). Despite cold shooting, the Cougars used strong team defense to keep the game within reach at halftime, trailing The Statesmen 30-22.

The Cougars were able to find the basket more often in the second half, pumping in 47 points. Leading the way offensively for the Cougars on the night were Tyre Gathright  (16 pts), Anthony Isaac (12 pts), and Stacy Gipson (11 pts). Despite their strong offensive surge in the second half, The Statesmen capitalized on efficient shooting and a strong backcourt performance by Ricky Hicks and Gevon Arrington who scored 31 of the Statemens 49 points in the second half. Richard Bland defeated Frederick 79-69.

The Cougars were able to get points from the free throw line (29-44), but had a difficult time seeing their shots fall. For the game the Cougars shot 18-48 (37.5%) from the field. This was hard to overcome a Richard Bland team who went 32-64 (50%) from the field. 

The Cougars return to action Sunday at 12 pm at the Monroe Tournament to face No. 4 Essex Community College (NJ).