HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College men's basketball team dropped its Region X conference opener on Saturday, falling 105-68 to nationally ranked Richard Bland at the Tarlton Complex.

Tim Bing Jr. scored a game-high 24 points to lead No. 2 Richard Bland (8-2, 3-0) and teammate Tyler Lloyd added 19 points.

Tyrell Oglesby paced CVCC (3-5, 0-1) in the contest with a team-high 15 points, scoring 13 of those points in the second half.

Battling closely in the game's early stages, the Red Hawks took a 16-15 lead after guard Marcus Talley made a 3-pointer, forcing a timeout by the Statesmen.

Richard Bland would answer, though, outscoring CVCC 30-11 during the remainder of the first half to take a 45-27 lead by halftime.

In the second half, the Red Hawks closed to within 53-41, going on a 10-3 run following a technical foul on the Statesmen.

However, Richard Bland would match the run, outscoring CVCC 52-27 in the game's final 15 minutes and 33 seconds en route to the victory.

The CVCC men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday with a road Region X game against Lenoir Community College in Kinston, N.C. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.