UNIONTOWN, PA- The Dean College Bulldogs prevailed over Flordia College on Thursday, winning the USCAA consolation round contest 92-83.  The win gives Dean a final record of 17-11.  

The Bulldogs were able to overcome a rough start.  Trailing 6-0 out of the gate, Head Coach Rico Cabral called a quick timeout.  Josh Croskey drilled a three pointer out of the timeout, but Florida came back strong.  They stretched their lead to 17-7 on a Dustin Dunham three pointer.  The Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run to the lead to 17-3 capped by a lay-in from Dayvon Russell.

Dean tied the game for the first time on a free throw from Naquwan Solomon to knot the game at 22 with 9 minutes remaining in the half.  Back and forth action ensued for the rest of the half, with Florida taking a 39-36 lead into the break.

A three pointer from Kendall Hamilton opened the scoring in the second half and tied the score at 39.  The two teams remained neck and neck for the next 10 minutes of the half.  A dunk from Croskey fueled momentum and tied the game at 49, while a few minutes later a layup from Hamilton at gave Dean a 60-59 advantage with 10 minutes to play.

The Bulldogs took over down the stretch.  Back to back threes from Hamilton and Russell gave Dean their biggest lead of the game 73-63 with 6:49 to play.  A jumper and 1 out of 2 from the line for Croskey pushed the Bulldog lead to 13, but Florida cut it back down to 8 on a three from Eddie Moralobo.

Good free throw shooting down the stretch from Dayvon Russell helped the Bulldogs hold on and secure the victory.  

Coach Cabral was pleased with the team's effort.  "We rebounded the ball extremely well which really helped us get out in transition and push the ball up the floor.  We put ourselves into a hole early but the guys did a great job when we decided to switch defenses,"  Cabral said.  He also had high praise for Croskey.  "Josh probably had his best game to date, and his dunk in the second half really helped ignite us." 

Dean shot 44% from the field and 81% from the line.  They outrebounded Florida 45-39 and led 18-10 in points off turnovers. 

The Bulldogs were led by a host of scorers.  Solomon led with 24 points and 8 rebounds.  Russell had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Croskey filled up the stat line with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.  Kendall Hamilton scored 15 off the bench, 9 of those points coming off three pointers.

The Bulldogs ended their season winners of five of their last six and finishing with a final record of 17-11.