Box Score

RIO GRANDE, Ohio. – The Rams closed on a 12-3 run Thursday evening, rallying for a 78-73 win over #19 University of Rio Grande at the Newt Oliver Arena. Bluefield had only led for several brief moments earlier in the game before its strong finish over the final three minutes of action.
 
Bluefield (13-10, 6-9 MSC) got 19 points from Alex Lubsey on 9-of-15 shooting, including a pair of buckets late in the game. Josh Nesbit and Andrew Wilson added 16 points apiece while Kearsten Marion was held in check with just 10 points on the evening. Devin Page recorded a game-high 11 rebounds, as BC took the margin on the glass, 36-27.
 
Josh Reagan led the RedStorm (16-10, 9-6 MSC) with 24 points and Philip Hertz added 19, but no other Rio Grande player entered double digits. Reagan, who tallied 46 in the RedStorm's win at BC on Jan. 25, was 10-for-10 at the foul line.
 
A Devin Page jumper pulled BC within four, 68-64 with a little over three minutes to play as BC held the hosts within striking distance. With a minute and a half remaining, Wilson hit a pair of free throws to knot the game, while a Bluefield steal and Lubsey dunk in transition earned the Rams a 72-70 advantage.
 
After a Rio turnover, Wilson knocked down a step back three as the shot clock wound down, but URG's Ricky Tisdale quickly hit a three on the other end to make it 75-73 with 28.2 seconds remaining.
 
A Marion pass to Lubsey in the lane was knocked loose, but Lubsey gathered the ball and scored the bucket to make it a two possession game, 77-73, but missed the three-point opportunity at the line.
 
Josh Nesbit grabbed a missed Rio shot on the other end and hit one foul shot for the final tally of 78-73.
 
It is Bluefield's first win over a ranked opponent this season (1-5), and first since its 96-89 win over No. 3 Georgetown last season (Nov. 15, 2012).
 
The Rams finished the game shooting 31-for-61 (50.8%), to URG's 25-for-54 (46.3%). Bluefield kept its three-point attempts limited, going 3-for-8 (37.5%), while the RedStorm were 7-for-17 (41.2%) from beyond-the-arc.
 
Bluefield shot well below its season average of 72.6% from the foul line, hitting just 8-for-13 (59.1%) attempts. Meanwhile, the RedStorm were a strong 16-for-18 (88.9%) at the charity stripe.
 
Bluefield was effective on its nine offensive rebounds, scoring 12 second chance points, while only allowing Rio Grande two offensive boards and no second chance points. Bluefield also held a decided advantage in points off turnovers, 23-11. Rio turned the ball over 17 times, with 11 of those being caused by Bluefield steals. The Rams had just nine turnovers on the night.
 
Bluefield also won the battle of points in the paint, 46-36.
 
The Rams finish their Ohio weekend on Saturday, taking on Shawnee State at 4 p.m., following the women's game at 2 p.m.
 
A Bluefield win—or a loss by Cumberland (Tenn.)—on Saturday would secure the Rams' inclusion in the Mid-South Conference Tournament, to be played March 6-9 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.