In Short: Cape Fear Men's Basketball loses in an overtime thriller in their first Region 10 Conference matchup of the season versus the Richard Bland Statesmen.

Highlights:

The Sea Devils started the game with solid communication and high energy, but struggled with their rebounding on both sides of the floor. This did not do them any favors as the Statesmen made strong drives to the basket and were powerful in the paint when it came to both their offensive and defensive rebounds.

About five minutes into the half, Cape Fear kicked things into high gear with a powerful block by Freshman Keison Porter to shift the momentum of the game. From that point on, the Sea Devils hustled to finish offensive plays and began to close the score gap with a stark increase in offensive rebounding. They began taking charges when necessary and forcing the Statesmen into foul trouble - effectively slowing down their scoring opportunities and giving Cape Fear the ability to catch up. The Sea Devils ended the first half with only a 10 point deficit to Richard Bland.

Moving into the second half, Cape Fear's offensive ball movement continued cohesively as they created more and more scoring opportunities. Despite their best efforts to open up their teammates, Cape Fear found it hard to land 3-pointers and struggled to make their free throws in big moments.

Despite their offensive shortcomings, the Sea Devils managed to hold the Statesmen defensively to force them into overtime play - with Jaden Scriven draining a shot at the buzzer to tie things up.

Cape Fear pushed the tempo and worked tirelessly through the overtime period, but their inability to finish on free throws paired with a few unfortunate foul calls put the Sea Devils down 63-57 to finish the game.

Newcomer Josh Laney was a workhorse from baseline to baseline and finished the game with 13 points and 3 steals. Sophomore Daniel Ransom earned 15 rebounds and was instrumental in keeping the team together as they recovered from their initial deficit to the Statesmen.

"This game came down to free throws, rebounds, and toughness," says Head Coach Mark Lane. "We have to be able to make free throws during close games."

Up Next: Cape Fear Men's Basketball will take on Chattanooga State during the Brunswick Classic on Friday, December 16th at 7 PM.