FRANKLIN, Mass. – December 4, 2021 – The Dean College men's basketball team fell to sixth-ranked University of Saint Joseph, 98-67, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener for both teams.

Dean goes to 5-2 overall and 0-1 in the GNAC. The Bulldogs will look to rebound on Tuesday against non-conference foe Bridgewater State. USJ remains unbeaten at 6-0 overall and 1-0 in conference action. The Blue Jays return to the floor on Thursday to host Elms.

USJ received 18 points on 9-9 shooting from senior Jordan Powell (Middletown, Conn.). Senior Delshawn Jackson Jr. (Hartford, Conn.) scored 15 points on five treys, while junior Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) and senior Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) each finished with 11 points. Senior guard Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) setup his teammates to finish with an impressive 18 assists.

Dean senior Winston Bryan (Greensboro, N.C.) led all scorers with 26 points. He went 9-12 from the floor and 5-8 from beyond the arc. Junior Mark Blair (Rosedale, N.Y.) scored 11, while junior Jonathon Larson (Oxnard, Calif.) chipped in with nine points in 16 minutes off the bench.

The visitors took a 24-13 lead with 8:41 to play in the first, after a Martin layup. The Bulldogs clawed back to cut the deficit to six with a Bryan three-pointer, 38-32, but Samuels scored a pair of layups in the final 30 seconds to give USJ a 44-32 lead at the half.

The Blue Jays continued to shoot the ball well and find space at the rim in the second half. The USJ lead slowly began to widen throughout the frame as the Blue Jays cruised to the 98-67 victory.

USJ shot 52.7% from the field and made 13 three-pointers. They also had advantages in points in the paint (50-18) and rebounding (42-26).