FRANKLIN, Mass. – December 2, 2023 – The Dean College men's basketball team won an exciting Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener against Regis in overtime, 91-90.

The Bulldogs (5-3, 1-0 GNAC) will step out of conference action on Wednesday to host Bridgewater State at 5 p.m. Regis (2-5, 0-1 GNAC) hosts non-conference foe Worcester State on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Dean erased a second half deficit of 16 points and held a 3-point lead (81-78) with five seconds to play in regulation. Regis junior Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) drilled the game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired to send the game into overtime.

The teams traded long balls to begin the extra session. Dean then received a bucket from junior Tyler Newsom (Pendleton, Ore.) and a pair of free throws by senior AJ Weston (Kansas City, Mo.) to take an 88-84 advantage. A freebie by Weston with seven seconds left put Dean in front 91-87. Rau made another deep three in the final moments to cut the lead to one, but time ran out and Dean earned the 91-90 victory.

Weston finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He made 17-18 from the free throw line. Newsom tallied a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards. Sophomore Moussa Berete (Richmond, Va.) made 8-12 from the floor for 19 points, while senior Charles Walker (Princeton, N.C.) ended with 15 points, including 3-3 from long range. Senior Jayden Madise (Palmdale, Calif.) was also in double figures with 13 points and eight boards.

Regis was led by Justin Evelyn's (Uniondale, N.Y.) game best 28 points. He went 7-12 from the floor, 5-8 from beyond the arc and made all nine of his free throw attempts. Rau finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and a couple of blocks. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) was the third Pride player in double figures with 12 points.