THE BASICS
Score: Dean College 75, Lesley University 44
Records: Dean College (16-8, 13-2 NECC), Lesley University (4-21, 4-12 NECC)
Location: Pieri Gymnasium, Franklin, Mass.
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM

THE LEAD:
The inside-outside combination of Iindia Pina (Carver, Mass.) and Emma Morrison (Northport, N.Y.) combined for 27 points on 13-for-17 shooting and Dean College pulled into a tie for first place with Newbury College after a resounding 75-44 win over Lesley University in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's basketball action Thursday evening.

The Bulldogs now have a chance to win a share of the regular season conference championship with a win on Saturday at Wheelock. A victory would guarantee them a share at least a share but should Newbury fall to Bay Path and Dean knocks off the Wildcats, the Bulldogs would win the title outright. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Winners of five straight games, the Bulldogs ended their 2017-18 home schedule with an impressive 9-1 record – the lone defeat coming at the buzzer against Eastern Connecticut State back on January 25.

Since that loss, Dean has won seven of their last eight games, including four of them by 15 points or more.

That was the case in the win over the Lynx as they raced out to an early 12-2 with Sophia Corbitt (Framingham, Mass.) and Pina controlling the pace of play.

After settling for a 22-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, Dean pushed its advantage out to as many as 18 late in the half after a short jumper from Nicole Romero (Winchendon, Mass.) and a steal and finish from Sophia Church (Rochester, Mass.).

Lesley came out of the half and scored the first six points, trimming the Dean advantage down to ten at 35-25.

The Bulldogs answered back by scoring nine straight points, including a three-point dagger from Church. Dean's lead continued to grow as the third quarter wore on and when Morrison scored five straight points, including a conventional three-point play, the lead was 51-31.

Lesley, meanwhile, was having trouble scoring and went nearly four minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters without a basket.

Dakota Jones finally got the Lynx on the board with back-to-back hoops, making the score 54-35, but Dean put the game out of reach with a 12-2 run. That game-sealing spurt featured a jumper from Shania Springer (Bayshore, N.Y.), a Corbitt finish, a Morrison fast break hoop and a Tara Griffith (Los Angeles, Calif.) inside basket that made the score 66-37 with 5:18 left to play. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Jones was a workhorse for the Lynx, finishing with 30 of their 44 points and 16 of the team's 36 rebounds. She either scored or assisted on 17 of their 20 made baskets.

12 of the 13 Dean student-athletes who saw game time scored at least two points, led by Pina, who ended with 14 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Morrison, meanwhile, totaled 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and Corbitt just missed out on a double-double with ten points and nine rebounds. 

UP NEXT:
Saturday's showdown with Wheelock tips off at 12:00 PM. For the Lynx, their regular season comes to an end but they are locked in as the number six seed in the upcoming NECC Tournament.